JUSTICE

Children: Protection

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the report by Action for Children, Keeping children safe: The case for reforming the law on child neglect; and if he will make a statement outlining the Government's response to that report;
	(2)  if he will consider reviewing Section 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 for the purposes of assessing the effectiveness of the Act for tackling and preventing child neglect.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice has noted the content of the report. The Government is already addressing many of the concerns raised. We continue to shift the focus onto earlier intervention, recognising that the earlier that help is given to vulnerable children and families, the more chance there is of turning lives around and protecting children from harm. Early intervention is key to addressing problems in their early stages to prevent them escalating and so to protect vulnerable children from neglect and cruelty.
	The Government is undertaking a number of reforms to strengthen social work practice. This includes improving the social work degree and developing further the skills of existing social workers in critical areas such as child protection. We have advertised for and intend to appoint a Chief Social Worker, who will work with the new College of Social Work and the newly designated Principal Child and Family Social Workers in local authorities to drive improvement and raise standards. On 12 June the Department for Education published its revised training resources and guidance ‘Childhood neglect: Improving outcomes for children The framework' and ‘Childhood neglect: Improving outcomes for children—Guidance for trainers’ to assist practitioners from all key disciplines to develop the knowledge, skills and values required to work effectively as part of a network of support and protection.
	The offence of child cruelty under section 1 of the 1933 Act covers a wide range of behaviour and while some of the language in the 1933 Act may now be considered old fashioned the courts interpret the elements of the offence in the light of contemporary understandings.
	The Ministry of Justice has not been made aware of any difficulties experienced by prosecutors in using section 1 of the 1933 Act, nor of any indication that they think it needs to be amended.
	The Children and Young Persons Act 1933 is part of a comprehensive legislative framework for protecting children and keeping them safe from harm. Other relevant legislation includes the Children Acts 1989 and 2004 and the Education Act 1996. Given the provisions of the legislative framework as a whole, there are no plans at present to amend the 1933 Act.

Data Protection

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what categories of data will be shared between the UK and other EU member states as a result of the Government's decision not to opt out of the Proposal on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by competent authorities for the purposes of prevention, investigation, detection or prosecution of criminal offences (COM 2012 10).

Kenneth Clarke: Article 3 of the proposed directive sets out the categories of data that fall within the definition of data subject. Accordingly, ‘data subject' can mean any person who can be identified by a data controller or by any other person by reference to one of the following characteristics: identification number, location data, online identifiers or one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that person. In this context ‘personal data' means any information relating to a data subject.
	Article 8 sets out provisions relating to processing of special categories of personal data. This provides that member states are prohibited from processing personal data that reveals race or ethnic origin, political opinions, religion or beliefs, trade union membership, of genetic data or of data concerning health or sex life, except where the following apply:
	the processing is authorised by a law providing appropriate safeguards; or
	the processing is necessary to protect the vital interests of the data subject or of another person; or
	the processing relates to data which are manifestly made public by the data subject.
	The current arrangements under the 2008 Council Framework Decision on the protection of personal data processed in the framework of police and judicial co-operation in criminal matters allow for the processing of special categories of data only to the extent that the processing is strictly necessary and where the national law provides adequate safeguards.
	Therefore, the draft directive does not require the UK to share any categories of data that are not already being shared. Rather, it proposes new rules for how that sharing should happen.

Defamation Bill

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions his Department had with stakeholders in preparing his legislative proposals in the Defamation Bill.

Jonathan Djanogly: In developing the provisions in the Defamation Bill we have met with a range of stakeholders including members of the legal profession, including both claimant and defendant lawyers, non-governmental organisations, internet organisations, media representatives and members of the scientific community.

Government Procurement Card

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many procurement card holders in his Department were (a) paid off-payroll, (b) employed on a part-time basis and (c) employed as a non-permanent employee in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12;
	(2)  on which dates his Department has published Government procurement card spending over £500 since May 2010.

Kenneth Clarke: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) I can confirm that there are no MOJ Government Procurement Card (GPC) holders who are paid off payroll.
	(b) GPC cards are issued in response to a business need in line with the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) GPC policy that is published on the MOJ website. The policy does not distinguish between part-time and permanent staff and therefore records are not kept. To obtain this information would be at disproportionate cost.
	(c) GPC cards are issued to non-permanent staff on a fixed term contract on receipt of an approved business justification. These staff are on the MOJ payroll. Cards are not issued to agency/interim staff or consultants. Records of the number of cards issued to non-permanent staff are not kept and to obtain this information would be at disproportionate cost.
	Details of all GPC transactions of £500 and above have been published on the MOJ website in accordance with Cabinet Office instructions since September 2011. The dates on which data have been published are as follows:
	
		
			 Data covering period Date published 
			 April to June 2011 27 September 2011 
			 July 2011 31 October 2011 
			 August 2011 31 October 2011 
			 September 2011 30 November 2011 
			 October 2011 30 December 2011 
			 November 2011 31 January 2012 
			 December 2011 29 February 2012 
			 January 2012 30 March 2012 
			 February 2012 30 April 2012 
			 March 2012 14 June 2012

Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) nationality and (b) gender was of each suspected victim of trafficking referred to the Trafficking Victim Support scheme operated by the Salvation Army in (i) March and (ii) May 2012; in which region each of the suspected victims was found; and which agency referred each case to the scheme.

Crispin Blunt: In March 2012 there were 38 referrals to the Government-funded support service for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales administered by the Salvation Army. In May there were 70. Details are provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Nationality Gender Region Referring agency 
			 March 2012    
			 Albanian Female South East NGO 
		
	
	
		
			 Albanian Female South East NGO 
			 Albanian Female South East Self-referral 
			 Albanian Female Yorkshire UKBA 
			 Albanian Female South East UKBA 
			 Bangladeshi Female South East Local authority 
			 Bulgarian Female East NGO 
			 Cameroonian Female North West Legal representative 
			 Chinese Female South East NGO 
			 Czech Male South East NHS 
			 Czech Female Yorkshire NGO 
			 Gambian Female South West NGO 
			 Hungarian Female South East Police 
			 Hungarian Female North East Police 
			 Hungarian Female North East Police 
			 Hungarian Female North East Police 
			 Hungarian Female Yorkshire Police 
			 Kenyan Male Yorkshire NHS 
			 Namibian Female North West UKBA 
			 Nigerian Female East NGO 
			 Nigerian Female North West NGO 
			 Nigerian Female South East Social services 
			 Nigerian Female South East Legal representative 
			 Nigerian Female South East NGO 
			 Nigerian Female South East NGO 
			 Nigerian Female West Midlands Self-referral 
			 Nigerian Female South East NGO 
			 Nigerian Female West Midlands UKBA 
			 Nigerian Female South East Police 
			 Not known Female East Midlands UKBA 
			 Pakistani Female East UKBA 
			 Romanian Male West Midlands Police 
			 Tanzanian Female South East NGO 
			 Ugandan Female South East NGO 
			 Ugandan Female South East Police 
			 UK Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Vietnamese Female East Legal representative 
			 Vietnamese Male South East Legal representative 
			     
			 May 2012    
			 Albanian Female South East NGO 
			 Albanian Female North West UKBA 
			 Albanian Female South East NGO 
			 Albanian Female West Midlands UKBA 
			 Chinese Male North East UKBA 
			 Czech Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Equatorial Guinean Female South East NGO 
			 Ethiopian Female North West UKBA 
			 Ethiopian Female North East UKBA 
			 Hungarian Male Yorkshire NGO 
			 Hungarian Female Yorkshire Police 
			 Hungarian Female Yorkshire Police 
			 Indian Male Not known Not known 
			 Indian Male Not known Not known 
			 Indian Female West Midlands UKBA 
			 Kenyan Female South East NGO 
			 Lithuanian Male South East NGO 
			 Lithuanian Male East Midlands Police 
		
	
	
		
			 Lithuanian Male East Midlands Police 
			 Lithuanian Male South East NGO 
			 Nigerian Female North West UKBA 
			 Nigerian Female South East NGO 
			 Nigerian Female South East SOCA 
			 Nigerian Female South East SOCA 
			 Nigerian Female South East UKBA 
			 Nigerian Female Yorkshire UKBA 
			 Nigerian Female Yorkshire UKBA 
			 Nigerian Female South East NHS 
			 Pakistani Female North West UKBA 
			 Pakistani Female South East Social services 
			 Philippine Female Yorkshire NGO 
			 Polish Male West Midlands NGO 
			 Polish Male South Police 
			 Polish Male South Police 
			 Polish Male South Police 
			 Polish Male South Police 
			 Polish Male South Police 
			 Polish Female South East GLA 
			 Polish Female South East GLA 
			 Polish Male South East GLA 
			 Polish Male South East GLA 
			 Polish Male South Cast GLA 
			 Polish Mate South East GLA 
			 Polish Male South East GLA 
			 Polish Male West Midlands NGO 
			 Romanian Female South East Police 
			 Romanian Female South East Police 
			 Romanian Male South East Police 
			 Romanian Male South East Police 
			 Romanian Male South East Police 
			 Romanian Male South East Police 
			 Romanian Male South East Police 
			 Romanian Male South East Police 
			 Romanian Male South East Police 
			 Romanian Male South East Police 
			 Romanian Male South East Police 
			 Romanian Male South East Police 
			 Romanian Female South East Police 
			 Senegalese Female Yorkshire UKBA 
			 Slovakian Female South East Police 
			 Slovakian Male North East NGO 
			 Slovakian Male South East NGO 
			 Ugandan Female South East NGO 
			 Ugandan Female South East Self-referral 
			 Ugandan Female Yorkshire UKBA 
			 UK Male West Midlands NGO 
			 Vietnamese Female South East NGO 
			 Vietnamese Male South East UKBA 
			 Vietnamese Male South East Legal representative 
			 Zambian Female South West Self-referral

Judges: Working Class

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 30 April 2012, Official Report, column 1159W, on judges: working class, if he will include social class as a factor when bringing forward proposals to diversify the judiciary.

Kenneth Clarke: The Government supports the promotion of a diverse judiciary, which is more reflective of society as a whole.
	We are working with the relevant legal professional bodies to support their work on attracting and retaining people from all social backgrounds in the legal professions and on improving availability of data to monitor progress.

Personal Injury: Compensation

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when Professor Fenn's report on the road traffic accident portal system will be published.

Jonathan Djanogly: Professor Fenn's report on the road traffic accident process is currently undergoing final clearance. As such, while we still expect to publish the report this summer, no specific publication date has yet been confirmed.

Private Prosecutions

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to the public purse was of expenditure on defendants' costs in private prosecutions in each of the last three financial years.

Jonathan Djanogly: Departmental accounting systems do not separately identify the expenditure on defendant's costs where the prosecution had been brought privately from those prosecutions brought publicly.

RSPCA: Prosecutions

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many private prosecutions have been brought before the courts by the RSPCA in each of the last three years.

Crispin Blunt: Information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the Court Proceedings Database does not include the circumstances behind each case beyond the description provided in the statute. It is not possible to identify from this centrally held information the number of private prosecutions brought before the courts by the RSPCA.

Sexual Offences: Victim Support Schemes

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reason his Department has not maintained its commitment to develop a sexual assault referral centre in North Yorkshire; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Health.
	North Yorkshire and York primary care trust and North Yorkshire police are working together on the commissioning of a sexual assault referral centre in North Yorkshire. The service is expected to open in early 2013.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the target time is for a benefits appeal tribunal to hear an appeal after appeal documents have been submitted.

Jonathan Djanogly: Before April 2011 a set of primary performance indicators was in place for each tribunal jurisdiction, based upon waiting times from receipt to disposal of an appeal. For the social security and child support (SSCS) tribunal this was based on the percentage of appeals where the final outcome was promulgated within 16-weeks of the receipt at SSCS.
	A commitment was made in Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) Business Plan for 2011-15 to publish wider information about the operation of courts and tribunals to assist users to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of these public services.
	Therefore, from April 2011, HMCTS no longer uses the primary performance indicators as targets, although information on the percentage of appeals where the final outcome was promulgated within 16-weeks is still published in the quarterly statistics report for the tribunals:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/tribunals/quarterly
	and is used for internal planning.
	From April 2011 a measure has been published which examines the age of a case when it is cleared or disposed of and gives the point at which 25%, 50% (the median) and 75% were cleared. This can also be found in the quarterly statistics report for the tribunals.

Victim Support Schemes

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how he plans to ensure a minimum quality standard across the UK when victims' services are locally commissioned.

Crispin Blunt: The consultation, ‘Getting it Right for Victims and Witnesses' closed on 22 April. We are currently considering the responses received, which included comments on minimum standards for victims' services, and the Government response to the consultation will be published soon.

Young Offenders

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many young offenders there are in young offenders institutions aged (a) 15 years, (b) 16 years and (c) 17 years old;
	(2)  what the average length of time spent in a young offenders institution was for offenders aged (a) 15, (b) 16 and (c) 17 years in the latest period for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: As at 31 March 2012 the prison population in England and Wales included (a) 61 15-year-olds; (b) 360 16-year-olds; and (c) 961 17-year-olds.
	The following table shows the average time served in custody for offenders aged 15 to 17 released from determinate sentences in 2011.
	
		
			  Age(1) 
			  15 16 17 
			 All determinate sentences 3.9 4.7 5.3 
			 Less than or equal to 6 months 2.3 2.6 2.7 
			 More than 6 months to less than 12 months 4.4 4.2 4.6 
			 12 months to less than 4 years 7.5 8.7 9.0 
			 4 years or more n/a 25.7 27.2 
			 (1) Age at time of discharge. Note: Time served in months and includes any time on remand. 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Young Offenders: Bolton

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many juvenile offenders from the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton have been held in a (a) secure children's home, (b) secure training centre and (c) young offender institution in each month since May 2005.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the number of young people attached to the Bolton Youth Offending Team (YOT) who have been held in a (a) secure children's home, (b) secure training centre and (c) under 18 young offender institution in each month since May 2005 to April 2012.
	These data have been provided by the Youth Justice Board (YJB). The YJB holds data at the YOT area level, not at the local authority level. YOT area data may cover more than one local authority area.
	This is based upon monthly population snapshot data. Therefore one young person who is held more than one month in custody will be shown in more than one month in the following table.
	The data from April 2011 onwards are provisional and will be finalised when the 2011-12 Youth Justice Statistics are published in 2013.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.
	
		
			 Table 1: Young people (aged 10-17) in custody attached to the Bolton Youth Offending Team (YOT) by establishment type in each month since May 2005 
			  Secure Children’s Homes Secure Training Centres Young Offender Institutions 
			 May 2005 3 2 26 
			 June 2005 3 1 25 
			 July 2005 1 0 31 
			 August 2005 2 0 28 
			 September 2005 2 1 25 
			 October 2005 1 2 23 
			 November 2005 1 3 26 
			 December 2005 2 2 19 
		
	
	
		
			 January 2006 0 1 22 
			 February 2006 0 0 27 
			 March 2006 0 1 28 
			 April 2006 1 1 23 
			 May 2006 1 2 18 
			 June 2006 1 1 17 
			 July 2006 0 1 18 
			 August 2006 1 1 17 
			 September 2006 1 2 14 
			 October 2006 3 1 13 
			 November 2006 3 1 11 
			 December 2006 3 2 12 
			 January 2007 4 3 16 
			 February 2007 2 3 15 
			 March 2007 3 3 14 
			 April 2007 3 4 21 
			 May 2007 5 4 20 
			 June 2007 5 4 17 
			 July 2007 4 3 21 
			 August 2007 4 3 20 
			 September 2007 2 2 18 
			 October 2007 2 2 13 
			 November 2007 2 1 15 
			 December 2007 2 1 14 
			 January 2008 1 1 13 
			 February 2008 1 1 18 
			 March 2008 3 0 21 
			 April 2008 2 0 24 
			 May 2008 3 0 18 
			 June 2008 2 1 17 
			 July 2008 2 1 20 
			 August 2008 1 0 18 
			 September 2008 1 0 20 
			 October 2008 1 0 19 
			 November 2008 1 0 16 
			 December 2008 1 1 15 
			 January 2009 1 0 14 
			 February 2009 1 0 11 
			 March 2009 1 1 11 
			 April 2009 2 1 16 
			 May 2009 2 0 12 
			 June 2009 2 1 13 
			 July 2009 2 1 14 
			 August 2009 2 1 12 
			 September 2009 1 2 12 
			 October 2009 1 1 10 
			 November 2009 1 0 9 
			 December 2009 1 0 8 
			 January 2010 1 0 7 
			 February 2010 1 0 7 
			 March 2010 1 0 10 
		
	
	
		
			 April 2010 1 0 12 
			 May 2010 1 0 12 
			 June 2010 1 2 12 
			 July 2010 1 1 11 
			 August 2010 1 2 8 
			 September 2010 1 0 7 
			 October 2010 0 0 6 
			 November 2010 0 0 5 
			 December 2010 0 0 6 
			 January 2011 1 0 8 
			 February 2011 1 0 11 
			 March 2011 3 0 11 
			 April 2011 2 0 11 
			 May 2011 3 0 8 
			 June 2011 1 1 8 
			 July 2011 1 2 6 
			 August 2011 0 2 7 
			 September 2011 0 1 7 
			 October 2011 0 1 7 
			 November 2011 0 0 8 
			 December 2011 0 0 6 
			 January 2012 1 0 5 
			 February 2012 1 0 4 
			 March 2012 1 0 3 
			 April 2012 1 0 1 
			 Notes: 1. The data comes from the Youth Justice Board's Secure Accommodation Clearing House System (SACHS). 2. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time. 3. The YJB does not hold data at local authority level. However, it does hold data down to Youth Offending Team area, some of which cover more than one local authority area. 4. The table shows the number of young people aged under 18 attached to the Bolton Youth Offending Team who have been held in a (a) secure children's home, (b) secure training centre and (c) young offender institution in each month since May 2005. 5. This is based upon monthly snapshot data. Therefore one young person who is serving more than one month in custody, may be shown in more than one month in the table. 6. Please note, data from April 2011 onwards is provisional. Data from April 2011 onwards will be finalised when the 2011-12 Annual Youth Justice Statistics are published in 2013 and data from April 2012 will be finalised in 2014.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Government Procurement Card

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on which dates his Department has published Government procurement card spending over £500 since May 2010.

Owen Paterson: My Department has not yet published this information, but plans to do so shortly.

WALES

Welfare Reform

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment she has made of the effect of welfare reforms in Wales.

David Jones: Through the Welfare Reform Act 2012 the Government is introducing the most fundamental reforms to the social security system for 60 years. Our reforms will deliver a system throughout Wales and Britain that is simpler, fairer and ensures that work always pays.

Welfare Reform

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment she has made of the effect of welfare reforms in Wales.

David Jones: Through the Welfare Reform Act 2012 the Government is introducing the most fundamental reforms to the social security system for 60 years. Our reforms will deliver a system throughout Wales and Britain that is simpler, fairer and ensures that work always pays.

National Assembly for Wales

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions she has had with Welsh Government Ministers on the Green Paper on Future Electoral Arrangements for the National Assembly for Wales; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: The Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan), published the Green Paper on future electoral arrangements on 21 May. She has spoken to all four party leaders in the Assembly, including the First Minister, about it.

Police

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment she has made of the effect of reductions in police budgets in Wales.

David Jones: We have set a challenging but manageable funding settlement for the police service. It is a matter for the chief constable and the police authority in each force to determine the number of police officers that are deployed within the available resources.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Vehicles

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many motorised vehicles of each type are in service in each branch of the armed forces; and where each motorised vehicle is based.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 25 June 2012
	The Ministry of Defence owns a wide variety of vehicles which are based at a number of locations across the UK, overseas and on operations. The following table provides the number of in-service armoured, logistics and engineering vehicles, grouped by role and category, held by the Department:
	
		
			 Role Total number in service 
			 Armoured  
			 AS90 89 
			 Challenger 2 227 
			 CRARRV 75 
			 CVR(T) 654 
			 FV430 (Mk 2 and Bulldog) 895 
			 Titan 33 
			 Trojan 33 
			 Warrior 781 
			 Mastiff 359 
			 Panther 401 
			 Ridgback 168 
			 Snatch (all variants) 485 
			 Vector 160 
			 Viking 158 
			 Wolfhound 125 
			 Husky 327 
			   
			 Engineering  
			 Armoured Engineering 66 + 101 Protected Plant 
			 Bridging 177 
			 Bulldozer 35 
			 Dumper Truck 181 
			 Excavator 64 
			 Forklift 457 
			 Route Engineer Plant 274 
			 Beach T/WAY Dispenser 26 
			   
			 Logistics  
			 Bulk Fuel 705 
			 Cargo 9,288 
			 Container Handler 64 
			 Crane 98 
			 Equipment Transporter 157 
			 Forklift 1531 
			 Medical 905 
			 Recovery 352 
			 Bulk Water Trailers 57 
			 Airfield Support 631 
			 Fire Vehicles 215 
		
	
	Information regarding the branch of the armed forces, and the locations where the vehicles are based, as well as information about other categories of motor vehicles, is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK troops are stationed in Bosnia Herzegovina.

Nick Harvey: The UK currently has seven officers stationed in Bosnia Herzegovina: five are assigned to Operation Althea, the European Union Peacekeeping Mission that is helping to maintain a safe and secure environment; one is the Director of Studies at the Peace Support Operation Training Centre in Sarajevo; and one is the Defence Attaché at the UK embassy in Sarajevo.

HMS Ark Royal

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what offers his Department has received for the Ark Royal; what information his Department holds on the proposed purposes to which such purchasers intend to put the vessel; whether the bidding process has ended; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: Seventeen proposals have been received to buy HMS Ark Royal. I am withholding the information about the details of individual proposals as disclosure would prejudice commercial interests. No decisions have been made about the future of the ship.

Military Bases

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he made of the cost of transferring the private finance initiative contract for Tornado simulators from RAF Lossiemouth to RAF Marham during the Basing Review.

Nick Harvey: This question falls under my responsibilities in the Ministry of Defence. The cost of transferring the private finance initiative contract for Tornado simulators from RAF Lossiemouth to RAF Marham during the basing review was estimated at a rough order of magnitude net present value basis as £19 million. The costs would only be incurred if Tornados were to be withdrawn from RAF Lossiemouth before 2014-15.

Reserve Forces

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel from the Army Reserve are available for deployment following a general mobilisation order within (a) one week, (b) two weeks, (c) three weeks and (d) four weeks.

Andrew Robathan: Mobilisation of reservists is authorised for specific operations through a call-out order signed by a Minister of State and laid before both Houses. A recent example of such an authorised call-out order is for the tri-service participation in this summer's Olympic Games.
	The Army Reserve comprises officers and soldiers from the Territorial Army and the Regular Reserve. Army reservists will carry out additional training following mobilisation for an operation. The length of time required for this training will depend on the complexity of the operation which may require familiarisation training on equipment which they will be required to operate, and procedural training to prepare for the environment they will encounter. Further preparations may be required such as vaccinations which depend on the environment of the operation and which will affect the length of time between mobilisation and deployment.
	Army reservists required for immediate deployment on operations are in the High Readiness Reserve. Currently, 85 members of the Corps of Royal Signals are at high readiness (between 12 and 24 hours notice) to provide communications support to operations in UK.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Female Genital Mutilation

Guy Opperman: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what steps she is taking to tackle cases of female genital mutilation.

Lynne Featherstone: Female genital mutilation (FGM) is an unacceptable form of abuse and violence against girls and women that the Government is committed to eradicating.
	In February 2011, the Home Office launched multi-agency practice guidelines for front-line professionals such as teachers, GPs and nurses. The guidelines aim to raise awareness of FGM, highlight the signs of risk that practitioners should look out for and sets out clearly the steps that should be taken to safeguard girls and women from this abuse. In October 2011 we also launched the FGM Fund, a £50,000 fund for front-line organisations who work to prevent FGM to further support their commendable work in strengthening the voice of women to speak about FGM and work to abandon the practice.

Females: Employment

Grahame Morris: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what assessment she has made of employment prospects for women in the north-east; and if she will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
	Although it remains lower than before the recession the number of women in work in the north-east has risen 7,000 over the last year and the employment rate is up 0.8 percentage points to 61.9% (February to April 2012). Within this overall fall in worklessness, unemployment has risen but inactivity has fallen significantly as more women have been drawn back into the labour market.
	New opportunities come up for people who want to get a job, or change jobs, every day. Jobcentre Plus offices in the north-east take over 500 new vacancies every working day and many vacancies come up through other recruitment channels. Through Jobcentre Plus and the Work programme, the Government is doing all it can to help people take advantage of these opportunities.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many meetings he has had in the last month on superfast broadband.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 26 June 2012
	The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), holds weekly meetings to discuss superfast broadband as well as other meetings as required on an ad hoc basis. Between 22 May and 22 June, the Secretary of State held nine such meetings.

Leveson Inquiry

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will place in the Library copies of all documents, emails and text messages he submitted to the Leveson Inquiry. [R]

Jeremy Hunt: holding answer 26 June 2012
	All relevant emails and text messages relating to the News Corporation bid for BSkyB were contained in the evidence I submitted to the Leveson Inquiry and which I have now placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Local Press

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many meetings he has had in the last month on the local newspaper industry.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 26 June 2012
	The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), holds weekly meetings to discuss the upcoming Communications Act, where matters related to the local newspaper industry are discussed. Between 22 May and 22 June, the Secretary of State held three such meetings.

Mobile Phones

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what representations he has received from Freeview on the rollout of 4G, and whether any such representations will delay that rollout; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: I and my officials have received written representations and have met with representatives of all interested parties, including Freeview. Ofcom has undertaken a public consultation, which has recently closed, to seek opinions on how the Government's policy decisions regarding providing support to consumers affected by interference should be implemented.
	It is the Government's belief, on the evidence available, that it will be possible to address any interference issues without unduly constraining the rollout of new mobile services or negatively impacting the availability of the digital terrestrial television service to the vast majority of viewers.

INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY STANDARDS AUTHORITY COMMITTEE

Estimate 2012-13

Mark Field: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, whether the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has reached a decision on IPSA's proposed estimate for 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Walker: In accordance with paragraph 22 of schedule 1 to the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009, the Committee approved IPSA’s draft main estimate for 2012-13 without modification on 18 June 2012.
	Papers relating to the Committee’s consideration of the estimate may be found on the Committee’s webpage:
	www.parliament.uk/scipsa

TRANSPORT

Bypasses

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what recent discussions her Department has had with the Welsh Government on proposals to build a bypass at Middletown across the England-Wales border;
	(2)  what recent discussions her Department has had with the Welsh Government on proposals to build a bypass at Llanymynech across the England-Wales border.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has regular discussions with officials from the Welsh Government on cross-border transport issues. No specific discussions on proposals for a bypass for Llanymynech or a bypass for Middletown have taken place recently.
	In considering future investment proposals for the strategic road network in England, the Department for Transport and Highways Agency officials would be happy to discuss with their Welsh Government counterparts, the details of specific future investment proposals.

Driving: Licensing

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the target times were for the completion of simple and complex medical investigations for the renewal of a driving licence in each of the last three years; and in what proportion of cases such targets were met in each such year.

Norman Baker: The Secretary of State has set targets for the completion of simple and complex medical investigations for the renewal of a driving licence. These are:
	1) to complete 88 per cent of medical applications, where sufficient medical information is provided with the initial application, within 15 days; and
	2) to complete 85 per cent of medical applications, where further information is required within 90 days.
	In 2009, 2010 and 2011, DVLA exceeded both of these targets each year. The table below shows throughput achieved in each year.
	
		
			  2009 2010 2011 
			 Simple 93% 96% 97% 
			 Complex 93% 91% 91%

Driving: Licensing

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will take steps to ensure that the proportion of medical investigations in complex cases for the renewal of a driving licence which are completed within the DVLA's 90 day target is increased.

Norman Baker: The Secretary of State for Transport has set new tougher targets for the completion of medical case investigations for 2012/2013. These are:
	1) to complete 90 per cent of medical applications, where sufficient medical information is provided with the initial application, within 15 days; and
	2) to complete 88 per cent of medical applications, where further information is required, within 90 days.
	In addition a review is underway of working practices and processes within the Drivers Medical Department to identify opportunities for further improvement and efficiencies.

Pay

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff working for her Department, its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies are employed through off-payroll engagements costing less than £58,200 per annum; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies provide monthly workforce data. The data for April 2012 shows 401 staff employed through off-payroll engagements.
	At 23 May 2012, the Department reported a total of 43 staff employed through off-payroll engagements who receive a daily rate equivalent to over £58,200 per annum.
	The Department generally uses specialist contracts and interim labour where there are short/medium-term specific skills requirements. Some are obtained through a central contract and currently there are 15 staff employed through this contract whose daily rate is equivalent to less than £58,200 per annum.
	There are other off-payroll engagements but it would involve disproportionate cost to establish the precise number whose daily rate is equivalent to less than £58,200 per annum.

Public Transport: Exhaust Emissions

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking to promote the use of green vehicles for public transport.

Norman Baker: The Government's Carbon Plan, published in December 2011, details our plans to deliver reductions in carbon emissions from the transport and other sectors over the coming decades. We are taking several steps to improve the environmental performance of public transport including:
	A major programme of rail electrification, leading to significant environmental and other benefits.
	A Green Bus Fund, providing some £75 million of support for low carbon buses. Three rounds of the fund have supported the purchase of around 960 new low carbon buses. Each low carbon bus saves operators around a third in fuel costs and emits at least 30 per cent less greenhouse gas emissions than a comparable diesel bus.
	A £1 million fund for targeted air quality improvements in London which will allow around 900 older buses to be retrofitted with pollution reducing equipment.

Roads: North Yorkshire

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make a statement on road funding in North Yorkshire.

Norman Baker: Details of the local transport capital funding settlement made to all local highway authorities, including North Yorkshire County Council, for the period 2011-2015 is published on the Department for Transport website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/local-transport-capital-block-funding/
	Beyond that, in December 2011 the Department announced £35.9m funding for the A684 Bedale by-pass major scheme, a revised offer which was accepted by North Yorkshire County Council in February 2012. Subject to satisfactory completion of the remaining statutory approval processes, the scheme is due to start construction in Autumn 2014.

Transport

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2012, Official Report, column 634W, on transport, whether there is any timescale or target for resolving the nine outstanding claims for reimbursement of expenses; to which airlines these claims relate; and what measures the Department has taken to make affected passengers aware of the support available.

Theresa Villiers: Of the nine claims cases with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) mentioned in the answer of 18 June 2012, CAA have now advised that two have been resolved, and seven remain to be resolved. Of these seven, six are still being pursued by the CAA with the airlines. There is no deadline by which these cases must be resolved and the CAA will continue to engage with the airlines to try to achieve positive outcomes wherever possible. With the remaining case, the expense element is now resolved, but there remains the issue of compensation for the cancelled flight under EC Regulation 261/2004. This aspect of the complaint continues to be investigated by the CAA.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the (i) accuracy and (ii) reproducibility of in vitro tests for botox toxicity in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office has not commissioned or evaluated research on the accuracy and reproducibility of in vitro tests for botulinum toxicity in the last 12 months.
	We continue to authorise the use of animals for the potency testing of botulinum toxin products as international and United Kingdom regulations relating to the safety and efficacy of medicines require that they are tested for potency. This form of testing is kept under regular review and only licensed where there is no alternative.
	The Home Office and all others concerned with conducting and regulating such testing, including the designated laboratories and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, are committed to using alternatives to animals as soon as it becomes practicable to do so.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which energy supplier supplies her Department with (a) gas and (b) electricity.

Damian Green: In the main the Home Office is supplied by (a) Corona Energy Ltd and (b) EDF Energy and British Gas Trading Ltd through Government Procurement Service (GPS) energy framework contracts. A small number of sites are being supplied by other arrangements before being transferred to GPS contracts.

Entry Clearances

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for Tier 1 (post study work) visas made before the closure of that route in April 2012 are still being processed; and what proportion of such applications have not been processed within the 28 day standard.

Damian Green: holding answer 25 June 2012
	Of all in-country applications received before the closure of the Tier 1 (post study work) route in April 2012, 17,000 are still being processed. We received over 14, 000 of these applications in March. Those outstanding have not been processed within 28 days.
	Please be aware that the data are based on management information. They are provisional and subject to change.

Essex Police Authority

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many government procurement cards were issued to staff employed by Essex Police Authority in each year since 2007-08;
	(2)  how many government procurement cards issued to staff employed by Essex Police Authority were reported as stolen in each of the last six years; and how much was lost as a result of any theft in each case;
	(3)  what steps Essex Police Authority (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to prevent any abuse of government procurement cards issued to its employees;
	(4)  what steps Essex Police Authority (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to reduce the theft of government procurement cards issued to its employees in the next two years.

Nick Herbert: The issue of government procurement cards (GPC) to employees of Essex Police Authority, the use of cards by those employees, and the measures taken or planned by the authority to reduce, prevent and detect any theft or abuse of such cards are matters for the authority to determine locally.

Pay

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) UK Border Agency and (b) UK Border Force staff received bonuses in 2011-12; and what the total cost of such bonuses was.

Damian Green: holding answer 14 June 2012
	Bonus payments made in 2011-12 were awarded for performance in the 2010-11 performance year when UK Border Force was part of the UK Border Agency. This response therefore provides overall figures for the UK Border Agency only.
	5,918 employees received a one-off bonus payment in 2011-12 and the total (aggregate) cost of one-off bonus payments to this group was £3,330,099.

Police

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average life expectancy is of a retired police officer.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 25 June 2012
	We do not hold the requested data. However, a valuation by the Government Actuary's Department, quoted in the Winsor Review, assessed that the longevity for police officers is not greatly different to other public servants.

Police

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress she is making in raising the police retirement age to 60.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 25 June 2012
	The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), wrote to the Police Negotiating Board on 27 March to consult on a proposal for the long-term reform of police officer pensions, which included a normal pension age of 60. Members of the Police Negotiating Board were asked to consider the proposal and respond by 22 June 2012.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she has given to police forces on police officers participating and voting in open primaries for the selection of police and crime commissioner candidates.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 25 June 2012
	The rules for police officers around PCC elections are no different from any other election. The Home Office has advised, when asked, that officers are free to attend open primaries as a member of the public, but should consider carefully any participation beyond that.

Police Officers' and Staff Remuneration and Conditions Independent Review

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to implement the recommendations of the Winsor report that there should be greater harmonisation between the pay of police officers and police staff; and what assessment she has made of the potential effect of implementing such recommendations on the quality of police officers recruited in the future.

Nick Herbert: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has referred specific recommendations about police officer and staff pay from the final report of Tom Winsor's independent Review to the Police Negotiating Board (PNB), Police Staff Council (PSC) and other relevant bodies. She will consider the outcome of their discussions carefully.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Aerials: Planning Permission

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning applications were rejected for mobile telecommunications masts in the last five years; how many such applications were subject to appeal; and in how many of such appeals the original ruling was overturned.

Bob Neill: The number of planning applications and appeals for mobile telecommunications masts is not available centrally.

Green Belt

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for how many planning applications for developments in the green belt he has granted permission in each year since 1997.

Bob Neill: Local authorities are responsible for deciding planning applications including those in the green belt. Information on the numbers of applications granted in the green belt is not centrally available.

Homelessness: Females

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking when developing policy to consider the needs of homeless and vulnerable women.

Grant Shapps: This Government is committed to tackling and preventing homelessness among all vulnerable groups.
	I recently attended St Mungo's parliamentary reception for their Rebuilding Shattered Lives campaign which intends to raise awareness and showcase good practice on the issues faced by homeless and vulnerable women.
	I will consider these ideas with my ministerial colleagues at the Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness.

Housing: Children

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many children were living in poor housing in the latest period for which figures are available.

Grant Shapps: holding answer 25 June 2012
	The information is taken from the English Housing Survey 2009-10. It was estimated that around 3.2 million dependent children were living in non-decent homes at that time.
	The previous Government set a target that all social housing should by 2010 meet the Decent Homes standard. This was not met, which is why we are providing £1.6 billion of funding over the spending review period to help make 127,000 council homes decent, and a further £0.5 billion to stock transfer housing associations.

Social Rented Housing

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to increase the social housing stock in (a) Coventry, (b) Coventry North East constituency, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England.

Grant Shapps: holding answer 25 June 2012
	We are investing £4.5 billion over the spending review period to deliver up to 170,000 affordable homes in England. This investment will lever in £15 billion of private sector investment, a total of £19.5 billion.
	In the Midlands area, through the Homes and Communities Agency's Affordable Homes Programme £469 million is being invested between 2011-12 and 2014-15 to deliver 21,700 affordable homes.
	In Coventry, almost £14 million is being invested through the Affordable Homes Programme and existing commitments to provide 550 affordable homes. These figures are subject to change as schemes are finalised.
	The New Homes Bonus also rewards councils for helping provide more affordable housing; our empty homes programme will support vacant properties being brought back into use as affordable housing; and the Community Right to Build will help provide low-cost homes for local families and residents.
	Information is not available at constituency level.

Temporary Accommodation: Greater London

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeless households from each London borough were placed in temporary accommodation outside of their area at the end of each quarter in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011-12.

Grant Shapps: holding answer 25 June 2012
	A table has been placed in the Library of the House, showing the number of homeless households from each London borough placed in temporary accommodation in another local authority district at the end of each quarter in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011-12.
	I would note that across this sample, based on the data returns, these figures show that average number of households housed outside their local authority area is lower under this Administration than the last.
	You will be aware that the Localism Act 2011 contains a new power that will allow local authorities to use the private rented sector to house homeless families. This will mean shorter waiting times for homeless households and less time spent in temporary accommodation.
	We are also consulting on strengthening accommodation rules, so that homeless households are placed nearer to home wherever possible. This is outlined in my Department's current consultation on the Homelessness (Suitability of Accommodation) (England) Order 2012.
	Statistical releases on Statutory Homelessness are available both in the Library of the House and via the DCLG website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/homelessnessstatistics/publicationshomelessness/

PRIME MINISTER

E-mail

Tom Watson: To ask the Prime Minister how many emails he received to his official government e-mail address in each month since May 2010.

David Cameron: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mobile Phones

Tom Watson: To ask the Prime Minister what the (a) make, (b) model and (c) network provider was of each mobile telephone device he has been officially issued with in chronological order since May 2010.

David Cameron: The Government has a corporate mobile telephone contract with Vodafone. Mobile devices are allocated to officials and Ministers as and when appropriate.

Mobile Phones

Tom Watson: To ask the Prime Minister how many (a) telephone calls and (b) text messages he received to mobile telephone devices officially issued to him in each month since May 2010.

David Cameron: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Parliamentary Private Secretaries

Chris Bryant: To ask the Prime Minister on which occasions he has given permission for a Parliamentary Private Secretary to travel on an official visit under article 3.11 of the ministerial code since May 2010.

David Cameron: Official overseas travel by a Parliamentary Private Secretary will be exceptional.

Rebekah Brooks

Tom Watson: To ask the Prime Minister from how many different telephone numbers he has received text messages from Rebekah Brooks since May 2010. [R]

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to paragraph 4 of my witness statement provided to the Leveson Inquiry.
	http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/evidence/?witness=david-cameron-mp

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Hunger Summit

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what objectives he has for the outcomes of the Hunger summit.

Andrew Mitchell: The event will further the ongoing UK and global work to tackle hunger and malnutrition. It will build on the important progress made on food security at the G8 Camp David summit.

Sahel

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department plans to fund resilience building projects in the Sahel.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) is currently providing urgent humanitarian aid to 1.6 million men, women and children across the Sahel region of West Africa.
	We are also keen to do what we can to protect people from future food crises. To do so, we are improving resilience in the Sahel through social protection programmes and livelihoods support. As co-chair of the Political Champions Group on Resilience, I have been driving international discussions on improving resilience in West Africa and elsewhere.
	Firstly, we will work through multilateral partners— the World Bank, United Nations and European Commission—to ensure that their investments in the region support the development and expansion of social safety net programmes. Secondly, the UK is funding the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), which is promoting agricultural-led economic growth to reduce poverty. A number of Sahelian countries have prepared investment plans for CAADP. Thirdly, DFID is a major funder of the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR), which includes Niger as one of its priority countries. PPCR, which is managed by the World Bank, is supporting a $63 million programme in Niger to improve the resilience of the populations and production systems to climate change and variability, which in turn should improve national food security.

Sahel

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he proposes that the joint initiative to develop and introduce successful farming and agricultural technology to farmers will include farmers in the Sahel.

Andrew Mitchell: The AgResults initiative, launched at the G20 summit by the Prime Minister, provides economic incentives to private sector actors in smallholder agriculture in developing countries. The initiative will develop and ensure the uptake of innovative technologies with the potential to yield high development impacts. These innovative financing mechanisms will be relevant to smallholders in developing countries, including those in the Sahel. The first three pilots will take place in Africa, and will benefit maize producers in Nigeria, Kenya and Zambia.

South Sudan

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to respond to the needs of refugees and the food-insecure population in the border areas of South Sudan.

Stephen O'Brien: We are deeply concerned about the situation of the refugees in Unity and Upper Nile states of South Sudan. This is an issue I raised during my recent visits to both Sudan and South Sudan. The UK Government is one of the leading donors to the humanitarian response in South Sudan, both through our direct funding and through our core support channelled through the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) and UN agencies. This year we are also providing £15 million to the Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) for 18 United Nations projects and 72 national and international NGO projects across nine clusters. We have allocated £10 million to the World Food Programme to help feed 100,000 vulnerable people in periods of increased need. We have pre-approved £5 million to use, if needed, in response to a rapid inflow of returnees from Sudan. We are also providing support through the International Committee of the Red Cross and international disaster relief charity, RedR.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Government Procurement Card

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many procurement card holders in his Department were (a) paid off-payroll, (b) employed on a part-time basis and (c) employed as a non-permanent employee in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12.

David Lidington: The information is as follows.
	(a) All cardholders must be on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) payroll for a Government Procurement Card (GPC) to be issued.
	(b) The number of part-time employees who hold a GPC is not recorded and this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	(c) Only staff in FCO funded positions and therefore on the payroll can hold a GPC. The number of seconded staff filling FCO slots who have been issued a card is not centrally recorded.

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what regulations his Department introduced between 1 February 2012 and 31 May 2012; and at what cost to the public purse.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office introduced no regulations between 1 February 2012 and 31 May 2012 but it introduced six Orders in Council during this period. These orders related to (a) implementing the international obligations of the UK, including in particular the implementation of UN and EU sanctions in the overseas territories and (b) prescribing the fees payable for the provision of consular services to British nationals overseas. Information about costs to the public purse could be provided only at disproportionate cost. This is because of the level of analysis that would be required to answer the question.

World Trade Organisation

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what programmes his Department has put in place to promote the World Trade Organisation and its round-table talks.

Norman Lamb: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	In the Trade and Investment White Paper (February 2011), the coalition Government made clear our commitment to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), to the multilateral trading system and to completing the Doha Round of world trade talks. The UK was a vocal supporter of concluding the Doha Round, which would have delivered a huge boost to global trade and growth and we are very disappointed that it has not been possible to conclude the negotiations. The coalition Government will continue to work with the EU to push for agreement on those elements of the Round on which there has been good progress, particularly trade facilitation (removing obstacles to the movement of goods across borders), which would deliver significant benefits to all and particularly to developing countries.
	We remain committed to the WTO, and in particular to strengthening elements of its regular business, as my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister set out in his report—“Governance for Growth”—to the G20 summit in Cannes in November 2011, and reiterated at the G20 summit in Los Cabos earlier this month. The WTO must remain central to the global trading system, to resist the rising trend in protectionist trade policies around the world, to settle trade disputes, and to be a forum to negotiate new trading rules. With Russia joining the WTO in the summer, the organisation will cover almost 100% of world trade, and the UK continues to press to make it easier for the poorest countries to join the WTO.
	In terms of specific programmes related to the WTO, the UK is helping the poorest countries participate more effectively at the WTO under our Trade Advocacy Fund. This programme provides legal and technical assistance to help the poorest countries in multilateral and regional trade negotiations. The UK is also a major supporter of Aid for Trade programmes, especially in Africa, which assist poor countries to reap the benefits of global trade.

CABINET OFFICE

Government Departments: Pay

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2012, Official Report, column 1073W, on Government Department pay, if he will publish the list of people paid off-payroll who earn over £150,000 at the same time as the list of individuals whose annual cost is £58,200 or more.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 June 2012, Official Report, column 1073W, and the information already published on departmental websites.

Holidays Abroad: EU Countries

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate his Department has made of the number of British nationals who had a vacation in each other EU member state in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office, asking what estimate his department has made of the number of British nationals who had a vacation in each other EU member state in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012.
	I am able to report the estimated number of holiday visits to each of the current member states made by UK nationals who are resident in the UK. These estimates are drawn from the International Passenger Survey. For each country the estimate is the number of relevant visits abroad on which the reported country is the main destination. The estimates for 2011 are as follows. I am unable to report estimates for visits in 2012 as this data is not yet available. The data relating to Quarter 1 2012 will be published on 12 July 2012.
	
		
			 Holiday visits abroadby UK nationals who are resident in the UK—Presented in terms of main country visited on each visit Calendar year 2011 
			  Thousand 
			 Austria 354 
			 Belgium 663 
			 Bulgaria 198 
			 Czech Republic 195 
			 Cyprus 802 
			 Denmark 58 
			 Estonia 24 
			 Finland 36 
			 France 5893 
			 Germany 670 
			 Greece 1682 
			 Hungary 75 
			 Irish Republic 623 
			 Italy 1481 
			 Latvia 15 
			 Lithuania 8 
			 Luxembourg 5 
			 Malta 363 
			 Netherlands 835 
			 Poland 150 
			 Portugal 1552 
			 Romania 12 
			 Slovakia 10 
			 Slovenia 24 
			 Spain 9070 
			 Sweden 68 
		
	
	May I also draw your attention to my response to Parliamentary Question 82499 of November 2011 in which I provided equivalent estimates for years 2001 to 2010.

Part-time Employment

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many households include a couple working (a) 16, (b) 17, (c) 18 and (d) 19 hours a week.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking us to make an estimate of how many households include a couple working (a) 16, (b) 17, (c) 18 and (d) 19 hours a week (114025).
	The latest information which is for April to June 2011 can be found in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of couple households(1) by total hours worked per week(2), April to June 2011: United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			 Thousand 
			 Hours Number of households 
			 16 148 
			 17 16 
			 18 59 
			 19 19 
			 (1) Couple households includes married and cohabiting couples, same sex couples and civil partners with and without dependent children, non-dependent children or other family units. (2) Total hours worked is the total hours worked per week by both partners in main and second jobs. Source: Labour Force Survey household datasets

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Electricity Generation

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the minimum contribution of UK domestic electricity generation required to come from domestic nuclear power stations in order to meet the Government's emission reduction targets for (a) 2020, (b) 2030 and (c) 2050.

Charles Hendry: It is Government policy that new nuclear should be able to contribute as much as possible to the UK's need for new low carbon generation capacity. It is not the Government's intention to set targets or limits on any new electricity generating infrastructure to be consented in accordance with the Energy National Policy Statements.
	‘The Carbon Plan: Delivering our Low Carbon Future’ (December 2011) sets out the Government's view on how the UK will achieve decarbonisation within our energy policy framework. There are many different ways to achieve decarbonisation of the power sector and it is impossible to predict which will be the most cost-effective route and what the power sector will look like in 2030 and beyond. Scenarios modelled in Carbon Plan suggest that around 40-70GW of new low carbon generating capacity will be needed by 2030, depending on demand and the mix of generation that is built. Depending on the assumed build rates, of this new capacity new nuclear contributed between 10-15 GW by 2030 in the scenarios modelled.

Electricity: Meters

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the relative merits of an (a) area-based and (b) non area-based roll-out of smart meters.

Charles Hendry: The Government consulted on area and non-area based approaches to the roll-out of smart meters in the “Smart Metering Implementation Programme—Prospectus” (July 2010). The “Prospectus—Response” (March 2011) set out the Government's decision not to impose constraints on suppliers in relation to planning, co-ordination or customer prioritisation, judging that this flexibility will enable suppliers to deliver their roll-out programmes in the most efficient way, reflecting the needs and distribution of their customer base. Nevertheless, the Government recognises the value of co-ordination between suppliers and other parties including network operators and third parties such as local authorities, and is working with suppliers to establish how best to facilitate this type of co-ordination.

Electricity: Meters

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the reasons were for his decision to mandate a target for the replacement of 97% of meters with smart meters by December 2019.

Charles Hendry: Energy suppliers will be required to take all reasonable steps to roll-out smart meters to all their domestic and smaller non-domestic customers by the end of 2019. For the purposes of economic modelling, the Government assumes that suppliers reach 97% of their customer by the end of 2019. This is neither a target, nor guidance, for suppliers. Ultimately, it will be for Ofgem to judge if a supplier has indeed taken ‘all reasonable steps' to reach all their customers.

Electricity: Meters

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reason his Department is permitting the installation of early smart meters prior to the agreement of technical specifications.

Charles Hendry: The installation of smart-type meters enables some consumers to access many of the benefits of smart metering earlier than otherwise, and contributes to learning during the foundation stage of the Smart Meter programme, delivering benefits for the programme more broadly. Meters need to be replaced when they come to the end of their lives, irrespective of the timetable for smart meter roll-out, and the availability of smart-type meters enables suppliers to offer early benefits to their customers. Suppliers will be required to take all reasonable steps to replace these smart-type meters with smart meters that are compliant with the Smart Metering Equipment Technical Specification (SMETS) by 31 December 2019.

Electricity: Wales

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the National Grid's Mid Wales Connection Project, what discussions he has had with the First Minister of Wales on the need for a 400kV cable between the National Grid and a new substation.

Charles Hendry: Neither I nor other DECC Ministers have held discussions with the First Minister of Wales on this project. It would be for National Grid to make the need case for any such connection when submitting proposals for regulatory and planning approval.

Energy Efficiency Office

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the cost to the public purse has been of the recruitment process to appoint a Chair of the Energy Efficiency Deployment Office; and how much of the costs arose from direct payments to consultants from (a) Saxton Bampfylde and (b) Penna.

Gregory Barker: The overall cost to the public purse for the recruitment process to appoint a Chair of the Energy Efficiency Deployment Office was £18,604.90 exclusive of VAT.
	The breakdown of this expenditure is as follows:
	Saxton Bampfylde: £6,975 exclusive of VAT;
	Penna: £11,629.90 exclusive of VAT.

Energy: Finance

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what agreements were reached on energy subsidy reform at the 2012 G20 Summit.

Charles Hendry: At the 2012 G20 Summit at Los Cabos Leaders welcomed a progress report on fossil fuel subsidies and reaffirmed their commitment to reform of these in line with previous G20 commitments. Finance Ministers were asked to report on progress and options for a voluntary peer review process to the Russian-hosted 2013 G20 Summit.

Energy: Finance

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on the energy consumer summit held on 17 October 2011.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change paid £244.50 to the Department for Business Innovation and Skills for venue hire and refreshments.

Pay

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department has taken to introduce regional pay since 20 March 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has not yet taken any steps since 20 March 2012 to change its pay system.
	I refer the hon. Member to the opposition debate on regional pay on 20 June 2012, Official Report, column 937-86.

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what regulations his Department introduced between 1 February 2012 and 31 May 2012; and at what cost to the public purse.

Gregory Barker: The Department introduced four regulations between 1 February 2012 and 31 May 2012. The regulations, SI numbers and the dates they came into force are:
	The Storage of Carbon Dioxide (Inspections etc.) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/461, 23 February 2012)
	The Energy Act 2011 (Commencement No 1 and Saving) Order 2012 (SI 2012/873, 20 March 2012)
	The Feed-in Tariffs (Specified Maximum Capacity and Functions) (Amendment) Order 2012 (SI 2012/671, I April 2012)
	The Offshore (Oil and Gas) Installation and Pipeline Abandonment Fees Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/949, 20 April 2012).
	The cost to the public purse would include staffing and other related costs associated with the development of the policy, drafting of the regulations and parliamentary scrutiny. However, this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost due to the amount of analysis required.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the maximum acceptable strike price for a feed-in tariff with contract for difference for new nuclear power generation, beyond which new nuclear build would become uneconomic in comparison with alternative low-carbon energy generation.

Charles Hendry: No estimate has been made of a maximum acceptable strike price for a feed-in tariff with contract for difference for new nuclear power generation.
	Any strike price that is agreed for new nuclear power generation will be based on delivering a fair deal which is affordable and provides clear value for money (taking into consideration the costs of comparable technologies, on a like-for-like basis), and is consistent with the Government's policy on no public subsidy for new nuclear.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Biofuels

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the potential effect on biodiversity of increasing biofuel production.

Richard Benyon: The Government's Bioenergy Strategy, published on 24 April, summarises the principal impacts of bioenergy on biodiversity as follows:
	"Demand for bioenergy can present risks for biodiversity and ecosystems through loss of semi-natural and natural habitats (such as forest clearance), intensification of agricultural production and the potential introduction of non-native invasive species. There is, therefore, a potential tension with the Government's commitment to halt and reverse biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation both domestically and internationally, particularly the issue of potentially increasing water stress. On the other hand, a number of reports show that perennial energy crops, such as short rotation coppice and miscanthus if cultivated in the right place and in the right way, can be better for biodiversity and water quality than arable crops such as wheat and maize. There will also be benefits if energy demand leads to unmanaged forests being brought back into sensitive management. The precise impacts depend on the previous nature of the land, the nature and location of the new crops and their management, for example by avoiding large swathes of monoculture."
	DEFRA is currently undertaking further research on the impacts of low carbon technologies, including biofuels, on biodiversity. The analysis is due to be published later this year.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she proposes that the Bovine TB Eradication Advisory Group for England will examine the scientific monitoring of the Government's proposed badger cull and publish its findings.

James Paice: We do not envisage the involvement of the new Group in such matters. An Independent Expert Panel has been established to oversee the design and analysis of the data collection on the humaneness, effectiveness (in terms of badger removal) and safety of the two badger culling pilots in 2012. This expert panel will report to Ministers the findings of the pilots by the end of 2012.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the terms of reference will be of the newly formed Bovine TB Eradication Advisory Group for England.

James Paice: The Group's members will consider its terms of reference at the first meeting. When finalised, the terms of reference will be published on the DEFRA website.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she or Ministers of her Department will attend the meetings of the Bovine TB Eradication Advisory Group for England.

James Paice: The Bovine TB Eradication Advisory Group for England is a sub-group of the Animal Health and Welfare Board for England which advises Ministers. However, I and other DEFRA Ministers will be happy to attend some meetings, or parts of meetings, as appropriate.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how often she proposes the Bovine TB Eradication Advisory Group for England will meet.

James Paice: Initially, the Group is expected to meet monthly. But I would expect the Group to meet normally about every six weeks.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons the Bovine TB Eradication Group for England has been replaced by the Bovine TB Eradication Advisory Group for England.

James Paice: The TB Eradication Group for England has provided excellent advice over the last four years. The new Group will be a sub-group of the Animal Health and Welfare Board for England, which was established in 2011. It will continue the valuable work carried out by the previous Group, but with the membership broadened to include additional areas of scientific expertise and wildlife and conservation knowledge as well as a broader range of farming experience.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Bovine TB Eradication Advisory Group for England (TBEAG) will receive submissions from stakeholders who are not members of TBEAG.

James Paice: We expect the Bovine TB Eradication Advisory Group for England to engage stakeholders. Precisely how this will be done has yet to be discussed and agreed by the new group.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the minutes of the meetings of the Bovine TB Eradication Advisory Group for England will be published.

James Paice: It will be for the group to decide how its proceedings should be communicated.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the recommendations of the Bovine TB Eradication Advisory Group for England will be published.

James Paice: The publication or otherwise of the group's recommendations will be a matter for the group itself, and for the Animal Health and Welfare Board for England, of which it is a sub-group.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who will provide the secretariat of the Bovine TB Eradication Advisory Group for England.

James Paice: DEFRA will provide the secretariat for the group.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Bovine TB Eradication Advisory Group for England will hold evidence sessions to consider the respective roles and responsibilities of Government, the farming industry, the veterinary profession and other stakeholders; and whether such sessions will be open to the public.

James Paice: The Bovine TB Eradication Advisory Group for England will consider the respective roles and responsibilities of Government, the farming industry, the veterinary profession and other stakeholders. It will be for the group to decide how best to do this.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether legal support will be provided to the Bovine TB Eradication Advisory Group for England (TBEAG) to allow TBEAG to advise on compliance with EU legal requirements.

James Paice: DEFRA will ensure the group is provided with any legal advice necessary to carry out its functions.

Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999: Prosecutions

Jane Ellison: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions there have been under the Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999 in each year since 2001.

James Paice: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates court for offences under the Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999, England and Wales, 2001-11 are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Sale of dogs Having custody of dog in contravention of S.9(2)(c) and failure to comply with S.9(5) 
			 2001 0 0 
			 2002 0 0 
			 2003 0 0 
			 2004 0 1 
			 2005 0 0 
			 2006 0 0 
			 2007 0 0 
			 2008(1) 0 2 
			 2009 2 0 
			 2010 0 1 
			 2011 0 0 
			 (1 )The figures for 2008 exclude data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Notes: 1. The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Dairy Farming

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress she has made on the implementation of a voluntary code of practice between milk producers and processors.

James Paice: Industry representatives are currently engaged in establishing a voluntary code of practice for the dairy industry and I fully support these efforts.

Email

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer to the right hon. Member for Southampton, Itchen of 1 May 2012, Official Report, column 1384W, on email, what her policy is on using personal email accounts for departmental business; and whether (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers of her Department have used their own email accounts for official business in the last year.

Richard Benyon: The Ministerial Code and the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers set out how Ministers and special advisers should conduct government business.
	Departmental policy is that personal email accounts should not be used for official business other than in exceptional circumstances.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether her Department switched its (a) gas or (b) electricity supplier in any of the last 10 years;
	(2)  which energy supplier supplies her Department with (a) gas and (b) electricity;
	(3)  how much her Department spent on (a) gas and (b) electricity bills in each of the last 10 years.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA transferred all of its electricity and gas supplies to the Pan-Government Energy Framework in 2004. This framework is managed by the Government Procurement Service (GPS) who procure electricity and gas on the Departments behalf.
	The current suppliers on the GPS Energy Framework are:
	EDF (Half hourly market electricity supply);
	British Gas Business (Non half hourly market electricity supply);
	Corona (Gas supply).
	DEFRA's electricity and gas costs for years 2002 to 2012 are outlined in the following table:
	
		
			 DEFRA utility costs: 2002-12 
			 £ 
			  Electricity Gas Total cost 
			 2002-03 418,114 92,004 510,118 
			 2003-04 442,938 101,808 544,746 
			 2004-05 611,889 114,195 726,084 
			 2005-06 871,645 228,450 1,100,095 
			 2006-07 872,349 228,450 1,100,799 
			 2007-08 773,699 136,650 910,349 
			 2008-09 868,776 294,254 1,163,030 
			 2009-10 706,088 249,619 955,707 
			 2010-11 569,980 209,645 779,625 
			 2011-12 478,382 109,940 588,322 
			 Notes: 1. The increase in cost over time reflects rising utility costs rather than an increase in consumption. 2. The decrease in cost since 2008-09 reflects the ongoing reduction in the size of the DEFRA estate.

Floods: Insurance

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what progress has been made in the talks on flood insurance;
	(2)  what alternatives to a voluntary agreement with the insurance industry has been considered for flood insurance after 2013.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 26 June 2012
	The availability and affordability of insurance in flood risk areas is an important issue for this Government.
	The current statement of principles agreement between Government and insurers expires on 30 June 2013. While it offers some limited reassurance to households about the availability of insurance in areas of flood risk, it has no influence over the price of insurance.
	We are at an advanced stage in intensive negotiations with the industry on alternative arrangements for when the statement of principles expires. The merits of both voluntary and regulatory models have been considered. Further announcements will be made in due course.
	Meanwhile the Government will continue to invest to reduce the risk of flooding especially to those households at the highest flood risk and living in the most deprived communities. DEFRA expects to spend more than £2.17 billion on flooding and coastal erosion over this spending review period. As a result of the investment we are making, we expect to deliver better protection to 145,000 households by March 2015.

North York Moors National Park Authority

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding the North York Moors National Park Authority received from the public purse in (a) 2007, (b) 2008, (c) 2009, (d) 2010 and (e) 2011; and how much such funding she estimates it will receive in 2012.

Richard Benyon: The national park authorities receive funding from DEFRA as well as a range of other sources. The level of grant paid, or due to be paid, to the North York Moors National Park Authority by DEFRA for the years in question is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2007-08 5,179,335 
			 2008-09 5,402,230 
			 2009-10 5,550,791 
			 2010-11 5,428,266 
			 2011-12 5,138,475 
			 2012-13 4,844,687 
		
	
	The reductions in grant are in line with the arrangements made to help address the deficit.

Ofwat: Fines

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what fines were imposed on businesses by the regulator Ofwat in each financial year from 2006-07 to 2011-12;
	(2)  what fines were imposed on businesses by the former water regulator, the Office of Water Services, in each financial year from 2000-01 until its transfer to Ofwat.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 18 June 2012
	Ofwat has existed since 1989. Its official name was the ‘Office of Water Services’ until 2006, when its official name became the ‘Water Services Regulation Authority’.
	Ofwat was first given power to impose financial penalties from 1 April 2005 and before this they ensured compliance through other channels.
	Details of Ofwat's current and previous enforcement action is available on the Ofwat website at:
	http://www.ofwat.gov.uk/regulating/enforcement/enforcenotices/

Oil

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the costs to the petroleum industry in the UK of compliance with the (a) Industrial Emissions Directive and (b) Environment Agency containment policy.

Richard Benyon: In March 2012, DEFRA published a draft impact assessment as part of a consultation on the transposition of the industrial emissions directive. This indicates that 19 large combustion plants within the petroleum refineries sector may be affected, at an average cost of £1.25 million per affected plant per year between 2016-30.
	The Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency act together as the Competent Authority for the Control of Major Accident Hazards for England and Wales.
	The Competent Authority Containment Policy brings together a range of technical measures to be implemented at oil refineries and fuel storage terminals to prevent the loss of containment from fuel storage tanks.
	The Environment Agency prepared a regulatory impact assessment and consulted on it prior to the issue of the Containment Policy. This predicted that the cost to industry, summed for all 95 sites and spread over 10-20 years, would be £270 million to £360 million for primary containment, £360 million to £550 million for secondary containment and £46 million for tertiary containment.
	A proportion of this cost would have to be incurred in any event to replace ageing infrastructure.
	The Competent Authority cannot say what actual costs have been incurred by industry, as measures required at each site may differ and costs are therefore site specific. Individual examples of costs have been in line with the regulatory impact assessment and no evidence has been presented to indicate that the costs to industry as a whole are exceeding those predicted in the regulatory impact assessment.

Plants: Disease Control

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how much her Department spent on controlling invasive non-native plants in the latest period for which figures are available; and how much she expects to spend in each of the next three years;
	(2)  what plans she has to provide funding for the future costs of control of non-native invasive plants and those identified as likely to become invasive in the future.

Richard Benyon: The direct cost of controlling invasive non-native plants primarily rests with landowners and the impacted sectors; examples are provided in the CABI report on the ‘Economic Cost of Invasive Non-native Species to Great Britain’. DEFRA directly funds some specific priority measures such as the development and release of a biological control agent for Japanese knotweed. The Department's contribution to that project to date is £309,234 with a further commitment of £75,000 until 2015. DEFRA is also funding further research into the biological control of invasive non-native plants.
	Through water framework directive funding, DEFRA is also supporting partnership projects taking action on invasive non-native species locally as follows:
	2011-12: £264,678;
	2012-15: £977,761.
	A proportion of this funding directly supports control of invasive non-native plants.
	Other funding for direct control or collaborative projects which wholly or in part tackle invasive plants is provided through a range of bodies. With a few exceptions the funding often supports the management of a range of plant species and the specific cost of managing non-native plant species is not separately recorded. For example, the Environment Agency estimates that it spends approximately £1,700,000 per year on control of bank and in-water vegetation, with approximately £500,000 of this in connection with reducing flood risk.
	Natural England funds the control of non-native plants through a variety of funding mechanisms, including the Higher Level Scheme within Environmental Stewardship. As of June 2012, Natural England expects to provide a total of £2,100,000 over the life of the agreements (which last up to 10 years).
	Natural England has provided £257,000 to local projects aimed and controlling invasive plants during 2011-12 and forecasts £150,000 for 2012-13. This is also a key activity under the Conservation Enhancement Scheme funded from Natural England's grant in aid; however, non-native species costs are not separately identifiable.
	From 2009-10 to 2011-12 the Food and Environment Research Agency has spent £2,075,000 on the removal of Rhododendron ponticum to reduce the risks from Phytophthora ramorum. Natural England has also provided approximately £50,000 in 2011-12 for the control of this species on Sites of Species Scientific Interest and expects to spend a further £1,300,000 over the next three years through capital funding for the Conservation Enhancement Scheme. Funding for rhododendron control is also provided through the Forestry Commission's Woodland Grant Scheme.
	It is expected that broadly similar levels of expenditure are likely to be required in future years, subject to significant new developments such as new threats or the need for the development of more ambitious control programmes. DEFRA will seek to support action on preventing new priority threats but, given the unpredictability of these, it is not possible to be more specific about the level of funding that might be required. Any additional expenditure would require re-prioritisation within existing budgets.

Schmallenberg Virus

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to assist farmers to prepare for the possible reappearance of Schmallenberg virus in 2013.

James Paice: A team of experts from DEFRA and the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) constantly monitors disease in the UK and across the world. As a result, we are well informed of the threat of both emerging and spreading diseases. Schmallenberg virus (SBV) is not notifiable in the EU and as such there is no legal requirement to carry out surveillance for the virus. However, as little is known about the virus, the Government is supporting research to develop the SBV knowledge base. There are few clinical signs associated with acute infection in adults, and it is their offspring, born sometime after active infection during pregnancy that exhibit clinical signs.
	During the winter there was a low level of midge activity, as determined by some of our late sheep cases, so we believe it likely that disease is still circulating, albeit at a low level. Therefore DEFRA continues to provide free testing for the virus for the time being. During the week commencing 25 June the AHVLA issued a questionnaire for completion by GB sheep farmers which will provide additional details of the prevalence of the disease, including the regional extent of infection and impact on affected farms. The benefit of surveillance at this time is under consideration. AHVLA is also raising awareness with farmers to be vigilant for any clinical signs of acute disease in dairy cattle.
	A recently published report based on data gathered from all affected member states issued by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has detailed the low impact of this new disease for farmers across the EU. Positives at time of data collection were 3,745 holdings (cattle, sheep and goats) out of a total of just over 1.15 million premises in the eight affected member states. It also notes that immunity levels in affected regions are high thus reducing further disease in these areas. DEFRA is working closely with the farming industry, with the European Commission and EFSA and with international scientific experts to ensure the most up-to-date information and advice is provided to livestock keepers.

UN Convention on the Law of the Sea

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 19 April 2012, Official Report, column 500W, on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, what agreements were reached on the conservation of marine biodiversity at the meeting of the UN working group on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction.

Richard Benyon: The UN working group on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction agreed to continue the dialogue on the possibility of a new implementing agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity, but was unable to agree that a recommendation on the initiation of a new implementing agreement should be put to the next meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. The detailed recommendations of the working group were that the next UN General Assembly should:
	(a) Welcome the “first meeting of the working group within the process initiated by the General Assembly” with a view to ensuring that the legal framework for the conservation and use of Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction addresses issues by identifying gaps and ways forward including through the implementation of existing instruments, and the possible development of a multilateral agreement under UNCLOS, and takes note of the exchange of views at the meeting on aspects of issues referred to in the co-chairs’ summary of discussion, some of which will be discussed during the inter-sessional workshops;
	(b) Request the Secretary-General to convene, within existing resources, two inter-sessional workshops before the sixth meeting of the working group on (i) marine genetic resources (ii) conservation and management tools, including area based management and environmental impact assessment's;
	(c) Request the working group, at its next meeting, to continue the consideration of all issues under its mandate, taking into account the discussions at its fifth meeting, as well as the input of the inter-sessional workshops, and provide recommendations to the 68th session of the General Assembly to make progress on ways forward to fulfil the mandate provided in Resolution 66/231;
	(d) Request the Secretary-General to convene a meeting of the working group in the second half of 2013; and
	(e) Request the Secretary-General to use existing trust funds, through earmarked contributions, to facilitate the participation of panellists and representatives from developing countries in the inter-sessional workshops, and invite member states, international financial institutions and others to make financial contributions to these trust funds.
	The need to address issues concerning conservation and sustainable use of marine diversity was reaffirmed at Rio+20. The outcome of this meeting clearly indicated that a decision on whether a new Implementing Agreement should be negotiated should be taken before the end of UNGA69 in 2014. The Government will continue to press for the need for a new agreement to cover, in particular, the need for marine protected areas in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Wetlands: Jersey

Alan Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps she plans to take to tackle pollution at the Jersey Ramsar site;
	(2)  what information her Department holds on the recent polluting of the Jersey Ramsar site and on any contribution from the building of a new incinerator adjacent to other Ramsar sites.

Richard Benyon: Responsibility for the management and protection of Ramsar sites in Jersey rests with the relevant authorities in the States of Jersey. However, DEFRA holds the overall administrative authority for Ramsar in the UK and its Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, and is therefore responsible for liaison with these authorities and ensuring that such incidents are reported to the Ramsar Secretariat. I am advised that these authorities are unaware of any recent significant pollution incidents at any of its four Ramsar sites.
	In 2008, complaints were made to both the Jersey authorities and DEFRA about the impact of the construction of an energy from waste plant on the south-east coast of Jersey Ramsar site. An investigation by the Jersey authorities revealed no evidence of significant damage to the site. As a result of that investigation DEFRA holds the following documentation, copies of which have been placed in the House Library.
	States of Jersey—Energy from Waste Plant and the Environment Scrutiny Panel's Review of the Planning Process.
	Bioscan report—Energy from Waste Plant and Ramsar Review of Planning Process.
	States of Jersey—Energy from Waste Plant and Ramsar: Review of Planning Process (S.R. 1/2010)—Response of the Minister for Planning and Environment.
	DEFRA response to the Ramsar Secretariat Re South East Coast of Jersey, Channel Islands Ramsar site (No. 1043)—UK decision on the requirement of an Article 3.2 Report.

Whales: Conservation

Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government plans to take to protect whales at the 2012 meeting of the International Whaling Commission.

Richard Benyon: I will be attending this year's International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in July (IWC64) to demonstrate the UK Government's commitment to the work of the IWC, and our support for the moratorium on whaling.
	The UK will continue to oppose all forms of whaling, other than limited whaling operations by indigenous people for subsistence purposes.
	The UK will continue to be a key advocate of conservation issues, including support for the creation of sanctuaries, the development of conservation plans for endangered species, such as Western Gray Whales and Southern Right Whales, the development of the whale watching industry and increasing funding for conservation research.
	The UK has also submitted a report, seeking the endorsement of the IWC, with recommendations on strengthening the IWC's role in conservation and welfare.

Wildlife: Disease Control

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to limit myxomatosis and its effect on wildlife.

Richard Benyon: Myxomatosis is a viral disease which decimated the wild rabbit population when it accidentally arrived in Britain in the 1950s. Since then, rabbit numbers have recovered although there continue to be localised outbreaks of the disease. It is only known to affect rabbits and there are no plans to attempt to eradicate this disease.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Children: Maintenance

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission has taken to establish the proportion of cases with outstanding child maintenance arrears where collection of child maintenance has been (a) temporarily and (b) permanently suspended; and what the results were of any such exercise.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission has taken to establish the proportion of cases with outstanding child maintenance arrears where collection of child maintenance has been (a) temporarily and (b) permanently suspended; and what the results were of any such exercise.
	The discretion not to pursue a sum of arrears of child maintenance is contained in Section 29 of the Child Support Act 1991. This discretion is exercised in respect of arrears that it is decided will never be collected. This is only in exceptional cases where very particular sets of circumstances, which mean this is the most appropriate course of action available, apply. The power is also exercised on a temporary basis in a much larger number of cases where circumstances mean that collection is not appropriate at a particular juncture. Whenever a decision is made not to collect, either on a temporary or permanent basis, the arrears concerned is put into the category ‘suspended’ on our computer system.
	In March 2012, 49% of cases with outstanding maintenance arrears included arrears that have been suspended.
	The split between temporary and permanent suspended arrears is available on the data held for the CS2 system, however further work is required to develop a methodology for using the data and to assure the quality of this information.
	Further investigation is required to determine if this information is available for cases on the CSCS system. If available we would again need to develop a methodology for using it, and carry out quality assurance.

Children: Maintenance

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 649W, on children: maintenance, what steps the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission plans to take to improve the effectiveness of its collection and enforcement activity to ensure that as large a proportion of arrears as possible are collected whilst clients are on the existing schemes.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 649W, on children: maintenance, what steps the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission plans to take to improve the effectiveness of its collection and enforcement activity to ensure that as large a proportion of arrears as possible are collected whilst clients are on the existing schemes.
	The collection of child maintenance arrears is a priority for the Coalition Government. It is children who lose out when parents do not live up to their responsibilities.
	We are determined to collect as much debt owed by non-resident parents as possible. For this reason we commissioned an independent panel of experts to provide advice to the Government on how we might best tackle the issue of uncollected arrears. We are considering the recommendations and will bring forward a strategy in the coming months.
	We are using all the powers available to us—for example, we are increasing the use we make of deductions from non-resident parents' bank accounts and orders for sale of their property. We are also making innovations such as accessing wider sources of Government information to locate thousands of parents who have tried to avoid their responsibilities to their children.
	The long-term solution will come with the introduction of the new scheme, which will bring greater automation and in turn, more alerts to identify quickly people who fail to pay. Once the new scheme is introduced, this will give us additional capacity to pursue effective debt collection.

Children: Maintenance

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many child maintenance arrears cases the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is dealing with; and in what proportion of such cases there is (a) a repayment agreement which is being adhered to, (b) an active deduction from earnings order, (c) an active regular deduction order, (d) a liability order and (e) further legal enforcement action in progress;
	(2)  in how many child maintenance arrears cases being dealt with by the Child Maintenance Agency there is (a) current active debt recovery action, (b) no active debt recovery action but case surveillance via a credit reference agency and (c) no active debt recovery action and no continuing case surveillance.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many child maintenance arrears cases the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is dealing with; and in what proportion of such cases there is (a) a repayment agreement which is being adhered to, (b) an active deduction from earnings order, (c) an active regular deduction order, (d) a liability order and (e) further legal enforcement action in progress. [112817]; and
	In how many child maintenance arrears cases being dealt with by the Child Maintenance Agency there is (a) current active debt recovery action, (b) no active debt recovery action but case surveillance via a credit reference agency and (c) no active debt recovery action and no continuing case surveillance.
	As of February 2012, the total number of cases with child maintenance arrears outstanding was 1,261,900, of which 482,000 cases were either closed or cancelled/withdrawn. Of those cases which are live (i.e. not closed or cancelled/withdrawn) 201,000 cases had an arrears charging schedule in place. 108,100 of those cases with an arrears charging schedule in place were paying towards this arrears schedule.
	At February 2012 there were 141,740 cases with an active deduction from earnings order in place. There were a total of 160 regular deduction orders in place. However each regular deduction order could affect more than one case as a non-resident parent could be contributing to more than one parent with care. It is not possible to establish the number of cases without investigating further, which would involve looking at individual cases on the system.
	The total, number of liability orders in place at February 2012, was 19,500, and the total number of further legal enforcement action in progress was 26,100. Further legal enforcement actions include arrestment, attachments, bailiffs, charge for payments, charging orders, committals, freezing orders, inhibitions, orders for sale, registering liability orders in county courts, registering liability orders with Registry Trust Limited, set aside disposition orders, third party debt orders and variation orders. A non-resident parent could have more than one liability order or legal enforcement action in place against them. To establish the total number of cases with a liability order and other enforcement actions would involve looking at each individual case on the system.
	To determine the total number of cases with an active debt recovery action and the total number of cases where no active debt recovery action would require further investigation and cross referencing of data on different systems. This further analysis would be available at a disproportionate cost.
	Information about the total volume of enforcement actions undertaken by the Agency can be found on page 28 of the March 2012 Quarterly Summary of Statistics, which can be found at the following link:
	http://www.childmaintenance.org/en/pdf/qss/QSS_mar_2012.pdf
	At the end of February 2012, 15,000 actions had been registered with credit reference agencies for surveillance on financial activity as we had exhausted cost effective options for collecting arrears on them.

Children: Maintenance

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the proposed Child Support Management of Payments and Arrears (Write off and Part Payment in Full and Final Satisfaction) Amendment Regulations, what estimate the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (CMEC) has made of the proportion of existing child maintenance arrears to be written off as a result of (a) parents with care making clear they do require the arrears to be collected, (b) the parent with care having died and there being no next of kin, (c) the non-resident parent having died and the arrears not being recoverable from their estate, (d) arrears accrued from Interim Maintenance Assessments calculated between April 1993 and April 1995, (e) the CMEC having already permanently suspended recovery of certain arrears and (f) parents with care agreeing to accept part payment of arrears in full and final satisfaction of arrears owing.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the proposed Child Support Management of Payments and Arrears (Write off and Part Payment in Full and Final Satisfaction) Amendment Regulations, what estimate the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (CMEC) has made of the proportion of existing child maintenance arrears to be written off as a result of (a) parents with care making clear they do require the arrears to be collected, (b) the parent with care having died and there being no next of kin, (c) the non-resident parent having died and the arrears not being recoverable from their estate, (d) arrears accrued from Interim Maintenance Assessments calculated between April 1993 and. April 1995, (e) the CMEC having already permanently suspended recovery of certain arrears and (f) parents with care agreeing to accept part payment of arrears in full and final satisfaction of arrears owing.
	the proposed write off power is very limited and could only be used in the circumstances as outlined in the public consultation and as will be set out in proposed regulations.
	Around 5% (c. £200m) of existing child maintenance arrears is known to meet criteria b), c), d) and e). The value of arrears meeting criteria a) and f) will only become clear when the powers are in place and the responses of clients are gauged. The amount that will be written off in practice also depends on how the Commission allocates resources. The current focus is on maintaining the compliance of cases with an ongoing liability and the collection of child maintenance arrears where there continues to be a qualifying child. If this current focus continues, the Commission will generally be in contact with older cases less often and this is the group where write off may be most appropriate.
	It is children who lose out when parents do not live up to their responsibilities, and we are determined to collect as much debt owed by non-resident parents as possible. We commissioned an independent panel of experts to provide advice to the Government on how we might best tackle the issue of uncollected arrears. We are considering the recommendations and will bring forward a strategy in the coming months.

Employment Schemes: Autism

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions his Department has had with other Government Departments on support for adults with autism to enable them to enter sustainable employment.

Maria Miller: The Department for Work and Pensions regularly meets with the Department of Health, Department for Education, and the Ministry of Justice through its membership of the cross government Autism Programme Board chaired by the Minister of State, Department of Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam (Paul Burstow), who has responsibility for care services, and Director General for Social Care at the Department of Health. This group is responsible for overseeing progress against the Adult Autism Strategy for England "Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives" which includes helping adults into work as a key area of activity.
	The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to ensuring that all disabled people, including adults with autism have the same employment opportunities and chances as everyone else to find and stay in work.

Employment Schemes: Fraud

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) correspondence and (b) representations his Department has received since May 2010 regarding possible fraud by private companies running welfare to work programmes for the Government in (i) the North East and (ii) England; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The Department treats any allegation of fraud by contractors very seriously. Any fraud is completely unacceptable. Where we identify, or are notified of, allegations of contractor fraud, these cases are investigated thoroughly by DWP's professionally trained and experienced investigations to a standard required to support reference to the police whenever evidence of criminal offences is discovered.
	When an allegation of fraud against a provider is received, we assess whether further inquiries are appropriate. Cases are accepted for investigation if allegations refer to potential fraud by a prime or sub contractor and there is evidence of a potentially serious, or criminal, matter in the allegations made.
	Between 1 May 2010 and 1 June 2012, there have been 46 investigations into allegations of potential fraud by Welfare to Work providers, five of which are on-going. The subject of the allegations in these cases is of a similar nature, that false representations have been made to claim fees, for example falsifying documentation in relation to client signatures, employers' verification or details of the service provided.
	In the course of the investigation, the investigator will gather evidence to establish the facts and determine whether there is a case to answer by:
	recovering and analysing data and documentation;
	interviewing DWP and contractor employees, including any suspects;
	approaching other DWP and contractor employees, customers and other individuals for written witness statements;
	examining available system and written records.
	Internal investigation reports set out the findings, outcomes and conclusion of an investigation undertaken in light of the allegations received.
	Where the allegations are unproven (or unfounded), no further action is taken.
	Where the investigation identifies evidence of procedural non-compliance, but not evidence of prima facie fraud, these enable the contract management team to seek appropriate remedies (e.g. repayment; control improvement, etc.).
	If sufficient evidence of criminal offences is identified, investigators will refer the matter to the police. Each investigation case is unique and must be considered on its own merits. In determining whether it is appropriate to involve the police, consideration is given to a number of factors, including the strength of evidence available, whether evidence can be attributed to the actions of an individual(s), whether and how they benefited from their actions, and any intelligence on similar previous investigations involving the contractor. Where there is evidence of an individual falsifying documentation to support false payment claims or where additional factors are evident, such as collusion, we will always refer the case to the police.
	The City of London Police are recognised as the national lead force, and a centre of excellence, for fraud investigation across the UK. They have confirmed that the criteria DWP applies in determining whether to refer cases to regional police forces are both reasonable and appropriate. They have also confirmed that the considerations made are aligned to the general principles applied by the police when deciding whether to investigate cases and allocate resources.
	In addition to referral of cases to regional police where appropriate, in line with measures taken by City of London Police to increase intelligence gathering on fraud related matters, DWP reports all cases where there are grounds to suspect criminal offences to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau database maintained by City of London Police. This enables the police to be sighted on cases being investigated in a centralised and co-ordinated way. It also enables them to build intelligence on individuals and organisations, provides an efficient protocol and interface for disclosing information on fraud at a national level and enables patterns in fraud-related crime to be identified.
	Of these 46 investigations between 1 May 2010 and 1 June 2012, 13 resulted in a case to answer, of which six had evidence of procedural non-compliance and seven had evidence of false representation. Two of these cases have been referred to the police and their investigations are ongoing.
	Internal Investigation reports contain specimen evidence and the results of analysis of provider claims that typically include customer details and other confidential information. In addition reports may contain details of any witness interviews undertaken and what they have said. The Department has a general duty of care and obligations under the Human Rights Act and Data Protection Act to safeguard individuals and to handle personal data securely. In respect of witness statements, witnesses are not ordinarily protected under the provisions of whistleblowing legislation and may be vulnerable to reprisals by their employer as well as retribution by people implicated in witness statements. In addition to the impact on individuals, full disclosure of reports would be likely to put at risk the co-operation of individuals on whom an investigation can depend. Furthermore, disclosure of both investigative practice and any vulnerabilities exploited by individuals may increase the vulnerability of the system overall.
	It is also not ordinarily appropriate to publicise the details of specific investigation cases (e.g. provider details, nature of allegation, and outcomes of investigation):
	Disclosure of unproven (or unfounded) allegations could result in litigation against the Department and damage a provider's commercial standing.
	Disclosure of specific cases where the investigation identifies evidence of procedural non-compliance, but not evidence of prima facie fraud, could impact on the willingness of providers or whistleblowers to bring matters or concerns to our attention in the first place and/or damage contractual relationships. The Department's contractual relationship with providers is built on partnership and joint working.
	Premature disclosure of cases where there is evidence of prima facie fraud may potentially prejudice or damage future DWP or police investigations. The police have been clear when conducting investigations that publishing any details of an investigation may carry a serious risk of prejudice to any further action by the police and/or the courts. The police may pursue investigations where patterns in suspected offences (e.g. highlighting links between people, organisations, location and events) become evident from such intelligence collected over time. Intelligence of this nature remains relevant and must be held for a minimum of six years in line with guidance produced by the National Policing Improvement Agency.
	The Department will, however, publicise critical cases once proceedings have begun, and publicise any subsequent sentencing.
	When asked, such as in response to parliamentary questions and Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, the Department has disclosed statistical information on investigations, including as an example, the number of investigations undertaken; the number of cases where there are suspicions of criminality; and the number of cases where payments had been claimed that were not due under the contract and the amounts were repaid.
	The Department now intends to publish said information (annually). The information in respect of contracted employment practice for 2006-07 to 2011-12 is shown as follows.
	
		
			 Contracted employment investigation cases at 31 March 2012 
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Total 
			 Accepted Cases 25 34 14 14 23 16 126 
			 On-Going Cases — — — — — 5 5 
			 Closed Cases 8 27 29 16 25 16 121 
			 No Case to Answer 6 15 16 11 18 9 75 
			 Case to Answer 2 12 13 5 7 7 46 
			 Non-Compliance 2 7 6 1 3 3 22 
			 False Representations — 5 7 4 4 4 24 
			 Referrals to Police(1) — 1 2 4 1 1 9 
			 Prosecutions — — — 1 — — 1 
			 (1) Closed cases only. Data is reflected in the year cases closed, not necessarily the year the matter was referred to the police or prosecuted. In 2011-12 two cases have been referred to the police. One case has been concluded by the Department. The .other is ongoing and is included in the ongoing case figure. 
		
	
	The Department will also disclose information on the number and value of contractor investigations where a loss was identified within its Losses and Special Payments Note in the Annual Report and Accounts.
	When asked to disclose details of specific investigation cases, the Department will use the policy set out above to assess what if any information can be released into the public domain. The expectation is that the Department will commonly decline to provide such details, and will apply recognised FOI exemptions from disclosure, where appropriate: this will principally be Section 30 (investigations and proceedings conducted by public authorities), with consideration of the public interest factors for and against disclosure being made on a case by case basis.

Employment Schemes: Fraud

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department takes to counter fraud by private companies operating welfare to work programmes.

Chris Grayling: DWP has robust control and assurance arrangements in place to guard against fraudulent claims being made by providers. These include processes to validate payments, an assurance regime that checks the effectiveness of providers' own control systems, and an investigation and audit team that thoroughly examines allegations of fraud.
	In addition, providers are contractually required to have their own fraud prevention policies and procedures in place. These must satisfy the requirements set out in paragraph 11.2 of the Terms and Conditions for the Provision of Employment Related Support Services available via:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/framework-draft-tandc.pdf
	DWP regularly reminds providers of their obligations in fraud prevention, and that we require the highest standards of governance in relation to all our contracts.

Employment Schemes: Yorkshire and the Humber

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Sheffield Central constituency, (b) Sheffield local authority area and (c) South Yorkshire have found employment through the Work programme; and what the average length of time for this employment has been.

Chris Grayling: The data requested are not available.
	Official statistics on job outcomes are expected to be available from autumn 2012. The release strategy for statistics on job outcomes is dependant on the availability, reliability, quality and accuracy of the data and the details of what we will publish are still to be finalised. When details are finalised an announcement will be made on the Department's website.

Hearing Impairment: Telecommunications

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if the Minister for Disabled People will attend meetings of the e-Accessibility Forum sub-group on relay services;
	(2)  what meetings have taken place between Ministers in his Department and the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries on the ability of deaf sign-language users to access telecommunications services which are functionally equivalent to those enjoyed by hearing people;
	(3)  what recent meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with representatives of the deaf community to discuss access to telecommunications.

Maria Miller: Officials from the Department for Work and Pension's Office for Disability Issues will attend the relay services working group and keep me informed of progress, as this is not a ministerial group.
	I recently met with the Minister with responsibility for culture, communications and creative industry’s, my hon. Friend the Member for Wantage (Mr Vaizey), to discuss what steps can be taken to improve the lives of disabled people, and relay services was a part of those discussions. We share a common aim of seeing more progress in this area as it has the potential to transform lives. We were therefore pleased that Ofcom plans a consultation on Video Relay Services this later this year.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport lead on this particular area, but access to telecommunications does come up frequently in discussions with Department for Work and Pensions at our new Disability Strategy meetings, which are attended by representatives from the deaf community.

Pensioners: British Nationals Abroad

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons UK state pensioners living in countries where the pension is frozen are unable to claim a temporary pension uprating while visiting (a) the US and (b) Bermuda.

Steve Webb: The reciprocal social security agreements between the UK and respectively the USA and Bermuda are designed to co-ordinate the national insurance and benefit position of people who live or work in those countries. They aim to provide reciprocity for people who are ordinarily resident in one of the states party to the agreements, but not to residents of third countries.
	Therefore a person who is ordinarily resident in a third country but temporarily resident in the USA or Bermuda cannot take advantage of the pension up-rating provisions in these bilateral agreements.
	The Government have no plans to change the current arrangements for the payment of UK state pension paid overseas.

Poverty: Children

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of children in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London Borough of Bexley who are (i) living in poverty and (ii) living in a household where no adult works.

Maria Miller: Estimates of the number and proportion of children living in households with relative low income, combined low income and material deprivation and absolute low income are published in the “Households Below Average Income (HBAI)” series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or ‘equivalised’) for household size and composition to provide a proxy for standard of living.
	The sample size of this survey is not sufficient to provide estimates of the number of children living in poverty at constituency or local authority level. Therefore we are unable to provide data for Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency or for London borough of Bexley.
	Similarly, the Office for National Statistics publishes estimates of the numbers of children living in workless households, both at a national and a regional level. However, no estimates are made by constituency and it is not possible to produce reliable estimates at local authority level. Therefore, again, we are unable to provide data for Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency or for London borough of Bexley.

Social Security Benefits: Industrial Disputes

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people are eligible for benefits when taking industrial action;
	(2)  how many people claimed benefits during industrial action in (a) 2007, (b) 2008, (c) 2009, (d) 2010, (e) 2011 and (f) 2012 to date;
	(3)  what the total cost to the public purse was of people claiming benefits during industrial action in (a) 2007, (b) 2008, (c) 2009, (d) 2010, (e) 2011 and (f) 2012 to date.

Chris Grayling: Income support and jobseeker's allowance are not payable to single people or couples without dependents where both are involved in a trade dispute.
	After seven days, a lone parent or a couple with children who are both involved in a trade dispute may be eligible for income support/jobseeker's allowance, housing benefit and/or council tax benefit. No benefit is payable in respect of the claimant or partner. Child tax credit is payable for the children.
	After seven days, in the case of a couple where one member is involved in a trade dispute, they may be eligible for income support/jobseeker's allowance, housing benefit and/or council tax benefit. Benefit is payable at 50% of the couple rate. Premiums for the partner and housing costs may also be payable. Child tax credit is payable for any children.
	The Department does not hold information on numbers and the related cost to the public purse of people claiming benefits during industrial action.

Sovereignty: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what correspondence (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with the Scottish Government on the consequences of Scotland leaving the UK; and if he will place any such correspondence in the Library.

Chris Grayling: The Government are clear that Scotland benefits from being part of UK and the UK benefits from having Scotland within it. The Government are not making plans for independence as we are confident that people in Scotland will continue to support the Union in any referendum.
	There have been no discussions or correspondence, either at ministerial or official level, on the consequences for my Department of Scotland leaving the UK.

Sovereignty: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with Scottish Government Ministers or officials on the consequences of Scotland leaving the UK.

Chris Grayling: The Government is clear that Scotland benefits from being part of UK and the UK benefits from having Scotland within it. The Government is not making plans for independence as we are confident that people in Scotland will continue to support the Union in any referendum.
	There have been no discussions or correspondence, either at ministerial or official level, on the consequences for my Department of Scotland leaving the UK.

Telephone Services

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many geographic telephone numbers for public access his Department uses.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions has five geographical telephone numbers published for public access.

Telephone Services

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-geographic telephone numbers for public access his Department uses with the prefix (a) 03, (b) 05, (c) 070/076, (d) 080, (e) 0845, (f) 0870, (g) 083/4, (h) 0871, (i) 09, (j) 116 and (k) 118.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions has the following non geographic telephone numbers published for public access:.
	42 numbers commencing 0845 for telephone calls plus 14 for textphone calls;
	22 numbers commencing 0800 for telephone calls plus 12 for textphone calls;
	One number commencing 0870 for telephone calls.

Work Capability Assessment

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 20 December 2011, Official Report column 1098W, on work capability assessment, how many people have been found fit for work under the work capability assessment who had submitted an appeal against that decision and subsequently died prior to the appeal being heard.

Chris Grayling: HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) management information indicates that between October 2008 and December 2011, the most recent reported period, 32 appeals against decisions relating to work capability assessments have been withdrawn following the notification of death of the appellant. HMCTS cannot identify which of these appeals were against decisions where the appellant was assessed as fit for work.

TREASURY

Leveson Inquiry

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much it cost to provide him with legal advice in relation to his appearance at the Leveson Inquiry.

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the (a) cost to the public purse of his representation by Treasury Counsel as a core participant at the Leveson Inquiry and (b) number of hours of Civil Service staff time that will be incurred in support of his core participant status.

Chloe Smith: I refer the hon. Members to the answer the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), gave on 21 June 2012, Official Report, column 1087W.
	Aside from the time spent preparing for and attending the hearing on 4 May 2012, at which Treasury Counsel made an application on behalf of the Government for core participant status at the Leveson Inquiry for a number of Ministers, the number of hours that civil servants worked in support of Ministers who gave evidence to the Inquiry was not materially increased by the granting of core participant status to those Ministers.

PAYE

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many hashes from the payment system have been (a) matched and (b) not matched to real time information (RTI) data from employers since the start of the RTI pilot to date.

David Gauke: The hash matching mechanism, built into the real time information (RTI) system, can only be applied once the RTI alignment process has been completed. Hatch matching will also only be possible where the payments to employees are made using a Bacs service user number.
	In May 2012, 10 of the first 15 schemes to join RTI submitted hashes within their FPS returns and 87,798 matches were made with hashes received from VocaLink.

PAYE

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full payment real time information (RTI) returns have been received since the start of the RTI pilot to date.

David Gauke: Since the start of the RTI pilot HMRC have received 1,741 successful return submissions. These consist of 220 employment alignment submissions, 1,400 full payment submissions, and 121 employer payment summaries.

PAYE

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to HM Revenue and Customs was of the end of year PAYE reconciliation in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2009-10, (d) 2008-09 and (e) 2007-08.

David Gauke: The information requested is available only at disproportionate cost, as it is not centrally held by HM Revenue and Customs data systems.

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what regulations his Department introduced between 1 February 2012 and 31 May 2012; and at what cost to the public purse.

Chloe Smith: Statements of the Treasury's regulatory and deregulatory measures are published every six months on our website.
	Between 1 February 2012 and 31 May 2012 the Treasury introduced the fourteen Statutory Instruments listed in the following table. The information required to estimate the cost of the introduction of these regulations to the public purse is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Since the one in one out system has been in operation the Treasury has saved business £26.46 million per annum in regulatory costs, within the scope of the policy.
	
		
			 SI number Name 
			 2012/639 The Syria (European Union Financial Sanctions) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 
			 2012/717 The Government Resources And Accounts Act 2000 (Estimates And Accounts) Order 2012 
			 2012/725 The Budget Responsibility And National Audit Act 201.1 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2012 
			 2012/727 The Budget Responsibility And National Audit Act 2011 (Appointed Day) Order 2012 
			 2012/763 The Financial Services And Markets Act 2000 (Exemption) (Amendment) Order 2012 
			 2012/782 The Pensions Increase (Review) Order 2012 
			 2012/795 The National Savings Bank (Investment Deposits) (Limits) (Amendment) Order 2012 
			 2012/854 The Government Resources And Accounts Act 2000 (Audit Of Public Bodies) Order 2012 
			 2012/916 The Financial Services (Omnibus 1 Directive) Regulations 2012 
		
	
	
		
			 2012/917 The Capital Requirements (Amendment) Regulations 2012 
			 2012/925 The Iran (European Union Financial Sanctions) Regulations 2012 
			 2012/1301 The Guinea-Bissau (Asset-Freezing) Regulations 2012 
			 2012/1302 The Burma/Myanmar (Financial Restrictions) (Suspension) Regulations 2012 . 
			 2012/1386 The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme (Allocation Of Allowances For Payment) Regulations 2012

Revenue and Customs

David Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets are set for response times for enquiries to HM Revenue and Customs by (a) letter or e-mail and (b) telephone; and what the performance has been against those targets in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: HMRC aims to respond to correspondence from members of the public; 80% of post within 15 working days and 95% of post within 40 working days. Results for the last five financial years are:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			 National 15 day target 15 day result 40 day target 40 day result 
			 2011-12 80 65.5 95 92.3 
			 2010-11 80 50.9 95 85.3 
			 2009-10 80 53.6 95 83.1 
			 2008-09 80 53.7 95 86.6 
			 2007-08 80 64.3 95 86.4 
		
	
	Correspondence by e-mail is currently limited. HMRC does not have a target for email responses and does not formally report figures.
	For (b) HMRC does not have a target time for answering telephone calls, but recognises that there are further improvements to be made and is aiming to achieve 90% of call attempts handled by 2014-15.
	In 2011-12, HMRC significantly improved the number of call attempts handled to 74% (compared to 48% in the previous year)
	
		
			  Percentage of call attempts answered 
			 2011-12 74.4 
			 2010-11 48.0 
			 2009-10 75.8 
			 2008-09 57.5 
			 2007-08 70.9

Revenue and Customs

David Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints about poor service were received by HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last five years; and how many of those complaints remain outstanding.

David Gauke: HMRC has published complaints information in its annual reports for 2007-08 and 2008-09 and departmental accounts for 2009-10 and 2010-11. Accounts for 2011-12, providing the latest year's information will be published shortly. This information is available on the HMRC website.
	Complaints are not specifically recorded as ‘poor service’ but are categorised as: communication, delay, discrimination, loss/damage, misleading advice, mistake/error, policy/legislation, process/system, security incident, staff conduct. For this reason, you are referred to the total complaints received figures.
	HMRC takes all complaints seriously and some complaints will take longer to resolve than others.

Revenue and Customs

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire of 18 June 2012, Official Report, column 725W, on HM Revenue and Customs and with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Walthamstow of 30 April 2012, Official Report, column 1208W, on revenue and customs, what service level agreements are in place; when the service level agreements were last benchmarked against the customer service targets of private and public sector organisations; and which organisations were used for benchmarking purposes.

David Gauke: HMRC has recently produced a three year business plan for 2012-15. One of the performance indicators within the plan is that, by March 2015, customers can expect that HMRC will be answering 90% of the telephone calls made.
	The number of call attempts handled is widely accepted as a standard measure of performance across the wider contact centre industry. HMRC has not specifically measured this indicator against customer service targets of private and public sector organisations.

Taxation: Construction

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to the Exchequer was of false self-employment in the construction industry in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11.

David Gauke: In its July 2009 consultation “False self-employment in construction: taxation of workers” the Government estimated a loss to the Exchequer of £350 million pounds per annum from false self-employment in the construction industry. The Government currently sees no reason to revise this estimate. A copy of the 2009 consultation can be accessed via the National Archives website at:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/consult_falseselfemploymentconstruction_200709.pdf

Taxation: Construction Industry Scheme

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much taxation was collected via the Construction Industry Scheme in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11.

David Gauke: For those years, deductions made from payments to subcontractors in the Construction Industry Scheme were as follows:
	2009-10: £3.2 billion
	2010-11: £3.6 billion

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Aviation

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans his Department has to promote the growth of the aviation industry.

Mark Prisk: The Aerospace Business Leaders group, chaired by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), and the Aerospace Growth Partnership group (which I chair) bring Government and business together to take action to stimulate growth in aerospace, boost exports and grow the number of highly skilled jobs available in the UK. This work involves some 80 senior business people from the aerospace sector, supported by eight full-time business secondees, and BIS officials addressing what needs to be done to maintain UK's competitiveness and achieve growth in areas such as research and technology, manufacturing capability, supply chain effectiveness, external engagement and skills.
	As part of this work we announced, in the March Budget statement, £60 million of new funding to create a UK virtual centre for aerodynamics. It will pull together existing research and modelling capabilities into a coherent centre, with a small programme team, that will encourage increased investment to fund a programme of work to ensure the UK is a competitive leader in this field.
	More widely, the Government are supporting business investment in both the product and manufacturing technologies that the Aerospace Growth Partnership has identified as important to best position the UK for future growth. For example, on 21 June, we announced £25 million Government investment in a series of collaborative Research and Technology projects. Led by Rolls-Royce under the heading 'Strategic Affordable Manufacturing in the UK through Leading Environmental Technologies 2' (SAMULET2), the programme will investigate new manufacturing processes aimed at increasing productivity and making the best use of resources. In addition, last autumn, we agreed to invest £32 million in AgustaWestland Yeovil to help introduce the civil AW169 aircraft. We will also be investing over £500 million to support the development of the Airbus A350 XWB and the Bombardier CSeries aircraft.
	Aerospace companies are expected to benefit from other more general support provided by the Department such as the £125 million Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative and £2.4 billion Regional Growth Fund.
	We are working closely with business to promote the attractiveness of the aerospace sector as a career choice to ensure that we have the future skills needed to deliver growth. As part of this work, the aerospace sector is actively participating in the See Inside Manufacturing programme, with a range of activities where aerospace manufacturers are opening their doors to schools and young people. The sector is also active in the Make it in Great Britain (MiiGB) campaign.
	A large number of Ministers will be attending the Farnborough International Air Show in support of UK business and BIS is supporting Futures Day at the show on 13 July at which some 10,000 young people will participate in a wide range of events.

Billing: EU Action

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what date he plans to bring forward legislation to implement Directive 2011/7/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011, on combating late payment in commercial transactions; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: It is a long standing commitment of this Government not to gold-plate EU legislation by implementing early and we have confirmed many times our intention to transpose Directive 2011/7/EU on combating late payment by 16 March 2013, thereby providing business, and especially smaller businesses, with certainty.
	Over the summer, we will consult on the detail of implementation, as part of the transposition process.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on (a) gas and (b) electricity bills in each of the last 10 years.

Norman Lamb: The following figures relate to spend by this Department and its predecessors on gas and electricity since 2003/04.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Electricity Gas 
			 2003/04 781,211 73,751 
			 2004/05 930,303 118,358 
			 2005/06 1,349,730 148,064 
			 2006/07 1,581,524 91,085 
			 2007/08 1,518,477 106,419 
			 2008/09 1,903,247 113,738 
			 2009/10 2,077,948 110,713 
			 2010/11 1,832,670 173,437 
			 2011/12 1,798,531 158,437

Environmental Protection: Industry

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps his Department has taken to stimulate growth in the low carbon and environmental goods manufacturing and support sectors and their supply chains.

Mark Prisk: Recent steps taken by the Department to stimulate growth in low carbon sectors include encouraging businesses in those sectors to apply for grants and/or loans from the £125 million Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI) and £1 billion Regional Growth Fund (RGF) round three. Applications have been received from businesses in low carbon sectors for both of those funds and they will be assessed against the criteria that applies to each fund. There is now an additional opportunity to apply for funding from AMSCI with bids being invited until 12 September.
	The Department is also supporting a number of ongoing initiatives to stimulate capacity building and improvement in business competitiveness, such as through the Advanced Manufacturing Research and Offshore Renewable Energy Catapults, funded by the Technology Strategy Board, and the National Renewable Energy Centre, which is developing facilities to demonstrate offshore wind technologies. In addition, skills funds are available to help businesses develop the knowledge and capability of workers, including the £250 million Employer Ownership Pilot and the Growth and Innovation Fund. Working with UK Trade and Investment, we are seeking to attract inward investors in low carbon sectors, such as offshore wind, as well as promote export opportunities.
	On financing, the Government are making rapid progress towards establishment of the UK Green Investment Bank, which will be a key component of the transition to a green economy. UK Green Investment Bank plc has now been formed with funding of £3 billion. It will complement other green policies to help accelerate additional capital in green infrastructure. It is expected to be fully operational in the autumn, following state aid approval. In the interim, the Government's UK Green Investments team (UKGI) has begun making Government investments in green infrastructure.
	Following an open competition, UKGI has committed £80 million to two fund mangers to co invest equity into smaller waste infrastructure projects (project size generally below £30 million). A similar competition for fund managers to invest £100 million in smaller non domestic energy efficiency projects is at the due diligence stage. A pipeline of further projects is under development. All these investments will be made on market terms or meet the requirements for existing state aid exemptions or approvals.

Higher Education: Devolution

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 1 May 2012, Official Report, column 1398W, on higher education: devolution, if he will give further details of the issues raised by his colleagues in devolved institutions on Tier 2 visas.

David Willetts: Ministerial colleagues with responsibility for higher education in the devolved Administrations raise a range of issues including the need to ensure Britain continues to attract overseas students which is why there is no cap on their numbers.

Office of Fair Trading: Competition Commission

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what cost-benefit impact assessment his Department conducted on the policy proposal to make a small and medium-sized enterprise representative body a super complainant in respect of the proposed Competition and Markets Authority.

Norman Lamb: holding answer 21 June 2012
	In the consultation document, “A competition regime for growth: A consultation on options for reform”, published in March 2011, the Government invited views and evidence on proposals to extend super-complaint status to SME representative bodies to give small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) a stronger voice in raising competition problems. The accompanying impact assessment considered that cases bought by SME representative bodies could potentially improve efficiency in the supply chain provided these were properly focused on competition. The impact assessment did not identify any business burden with the proposals. Given the lack of significant support for this proposal and the absence of evidence of the type of issues that may be bought to the CMA as a potential SME super-complaint, the Government decided not to extend the super-complaint mechanism.

Pay

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the (a) highest, (b) median, (c) median full-time equivalent and (d) lowest full-time equivalent salary was paid by (i) his Department and (ii) its public bodies in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13.

Norman Lamb: The following information has been drawn from various data sources and does not include ERNIC or Superannuation.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Highest Median Median full-time equivalent Lowest full-time equivalent 
			 2010-11 207,263 38,736 40,060 15,117 
			 2011-12 198,433 39,348 40,628 15,367 
			 2012-13 186,627 39,679 40,888 15,417

Supermarkets: Competition

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with supermarket retailers on opening new stores in town centres.

Mark Prisk: BIS Ministers have not recently discussed the locations of new store openings with representatives of the major grocery retailers. Such issues are commercial decisions for the companies involved, and local planning decisions rest, quite rightly, with local planning authorities.
	The Government are committed to supporting high streets and town centres, as evidenced by our response to the recommendations of the Mary Portas Review.
	The new National Planning Policy Framework maintains a strong town centre first policy and makes clear that local councils should recognise their centres as the heart of their communities and pursue policies to support town centre viability. The framework makes clear that we want town centres to be competitive and provide customer choice and a diverse retail offer.

Trade Promotion

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will consider implementing the recommendation in the report by the British Chambers of Commerce, “Exporting is Good for Britain but Breaking into New Markets Requires Planning”, to support more businesses to proactively pursue export opportunities by reforming publicly-backed trade promotion schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) report highlighted two key services provided by UKTI. The Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP) was revised for 2012/13 and now supports small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) exporters both with grants and value added services tailored to each of the exhibitions in the programme. There are more than 230 of these events with support packages, selected after consultation with industry representatives including member bodies of the BCC.
	The Overseas Market Introduction Service remains a popular service with more companies using it year on year. UKTI's pricing structure and strategy for this service is under constant review. The last full refresh of policy was in April 2011. The Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS) charging structure is based on firms paying for services used, irrespective of company size, providing support for all firms but with additional assistance for target groups. To ensure support is targeted, UKTI offers grants and subsidies to SMEs where it can make the most difference, such as encouraging new exporters or exporters to the high growth markets.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments: North East

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients waited longer than four hours in each accident and emergency ward in (a) Northumbria, (b) Tyne and Wear and (c) County Durham (i) in each of the last three years and (ii) between (A) January and March 2012 and (B) January and March 2011.

Simon Burns: This information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Numbers of people waiting over four hours in accident and emergency (A&E) type 1(major) departments 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2011(1) 2012(1) 
			 Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 2,564 3,691 3,094 654 1442 697 
			 County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust 1,353 3,001 7,776 1891 1,584 2,816 
			 The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 1,673 2,543 1,013. 462 362 868 
			 South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust 844 1,137 2,751 407 557 1,283 
			 City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust 2,839 47,080 4,526 1,081 1,554 686 
		
	
	
		
			 Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust 979 1245 2,281 630 366 633 
			 (1) January to March Notes: 1. Year to date for 2012-13 is up to and including week ending 17 June 2012. 2. The QMAE Quarterly return was not collected after April 2011, therefore the more recent data have been drawn from the newer A&E Weekly Activity return (WSit AE). Source: Department of Health QMAE quarterly return (2009-10 and 2010-11 data) Department of Health QSitAE weekly return (2011-13 data).

Antidepressants

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost was of antidepressants prescribed in each of the last 10 years.

Simon Burns: The net ingredient cost (NIC) of prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community, in England, for drugs classified as antidepressant drugs in British National Formulary section 4.3 Antidepressant drugs, for each of the last available 10 years, is as follows.
	
		
			  NIC (£) 
			 2002 380,883,112 
			 2003 395,178,028 
			 2004 400,681,709 
			 2005 338,546,700 
			 2006 291,511,414 
			 2007 276,107,573 
			 2008 247,355,066 
			 2009 230,062,853 
			 2010 220,372,788 
			 2011 270,177,163 
			 Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system

Dangerous Dogs

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government is taking to protect health workers from dangerous dogs and other animals when making home visits.

Simon Burns: NHS Protect, the unit that leads work on security management in the national health service, has provided guidance for lone workers in the NHS. This includes practical advice on the benefits of risk assessment by NHS staff when working alone and specific guidance on the safety of staff where animals are present at a location they are visiting. ‘Not Alone, a guide for the better protection of lone workers in the NHS’ is available at:
	www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/SecurityManagement/Documents/Lone_Working_Guidance_final.pdf
	The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs ran a consultation on a package of proposals for tackling irresponsible ownership of dogs. One of the proposals is to extend the criminal offence of allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control to all places, including inside the home of the dog owner. The consultation closed on 15 June and they are analysing the 23,000 or so responses before any decisions are taken.
	NHS Protect has responded to this consultation and supports measures to promote more responsible dog ownership and reduce dog attacks.

Dental Services

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the waiting times for NHS root canal treatment were in (a) each primary care trust area and (b) England in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: This information is not collected centrally in the form requested. Data on waiting times, if any, for root canal treatment delivered in primary care are not collected and are not routinely collected for root canal treatment delivered in out-patient settings. Information is collected centrally for waiting times for in-patients with a main operative procedure of root canal therapy. The mean and median waiting times have been provided with the mean's denominator in order to give an indication of the number of root canal procedures on which the averages are based. A table has been placed in the Library which includes data for primary care trust area and for England as a whole for the years 2006-07 to 2010-11 inclusive.

General Practitioners: Working Hours

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of general practitioners work (a) full-time and (b) part-time.

Simon Burns: The annual national health service workforce census shows that of the 35,415 general practitioners (GPs) working in the NHS in England at 30 September 2011, 67.6% work full-time and 32.4% work part-time. The data are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 GPs (excluding retainers and registrars) in England by FTE commitment as at 30 September 2011 
			 Headcount 
			  Number Percentage 
			 All GPs (excluding retainers and registrars) 35,415 100 
			 Of which:   
		
	
	
		
			 FTE less than or equal to 0.75 9,317 26.3 
			 FTE over 0.75 but less than 1.0 2,172 6.1 
			 FTE greater than or equal to 1.0 23,926 67.6 
			 FTE = Full Time Equivalent. Notes: 1. Data as at 30 September 2011 2. FTE calculations on the GP Census are based on an FTE of 1.0 being 37.5 hours a week. Data Quality: The Health and Social Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre (General and Personal Medical Services Statistics)

Health Services

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Secretary of State will (a) retain ultimate accountability for the health services and (b) continue to have a responsibility for securing the provision of services.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), will continue to be accountable overall for the national health service. Section 1 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, makes explicit that:
	“the Secretary of State retains ministerial responsibility to Parliament for the provision of the health service in England”.
	Clinical commissioning groups will be responsible for actually commissioning most NHS services, supported by and accountable to the NHS Commissioning Board. However, Ministers will oversee the system and hold the NHS Commissioning Board and other national bodies to account, in line with the Secretary of State's duty to exercise his functions:
	“so as to secure that services are provided”.

Heart Diseases

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many (a) men and (b) women in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK have received inpatient treatment for heart disease in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many women in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have received inpatient treatment for heart disease in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: The following table provides a count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a diagnosis of heart disease for the years 2006-07 to 2010-11, with the exception of constituency data that can only be provided for 2010-11 onwards. These data are not a count of people, as the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion. Heart disease is a broad term. The table includes all conditions which can be found in the ICD-10 Alphabetical Index under the specific term ‘heart disease', as well as other conditions which cannot be directly indexed under this term but are diseases/conditions of the structures of the heart and may also be considered as heart disease.
	
		
			 A count of finished admission episodes (FAEs)(1) with a primary diagnosis(2 )or diagnosis mention(3) of heart disease by sex for (i) Jarrow constituency of residence(4), (ii) South Tyneside Primary Care Trust (PCT) of residence(5),(iii) North East Strategic Health Authority (SHA) of residence(5), and (iv) England for the years 2006-07 to 2010-11(6) 
			 Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			  Jarrow constituency South Tyneside PCT North East SHA England 
			  Male Female Male Female Male Female Not known Not specified Male Female Not known Not specified 
			 2010-11 709 551 1,468 1,008 18,555 12,901 — — 346,523 229,539 12 7 
			 2009-10 — — 1,398 1,041 18,210 12,590 — — 346,690 228,868 23 11 
			 2008-09 — — 1,436 924 18,552 12,549 3 — 350,576 231,388 15 12 
			 2007-08 — — 1,321 1,026 18,276 12,514 4 1 348,971 230,514 36 19 
			 2006-07 — — 1,281 880 17,310 12,546 — — 342,340 226,468 22 26 
		
	
	
		
			 (1) Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (2) Primary diagnosis The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. (3) Number of episodes in which the patient had a (named) primary or secondary diagnosis The number of episodes where this diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a HES record. Each episode is only counted once, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record. (4) Parliamentary constituency of residence The parliamentary constituency containing the patient's normal home address. This does not necessarily reflect where the patient was treated as they may have travelled to another area or region for treatment. (5) SSHA/PCT of residence The strategic health authority (SHA) or primary care trust (PCT) containing the patient's normal home address. This does not necessarily reflect where the patient was treated as they may have travelled to another SHA/PCT for treatment. (6) Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Homeopathy

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of all research reports commissioned by his Department since 1997 into homeopathy; and what the cost was of each such report.

Simon Burns: The Department commissions research to support policy development and implementation through its Policy Research Programme (PRP). Since 1997, the PRP has commissioned no research projects on homeopathy.
	Since 1997, the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme has been funded as a national NHS research and development programme producing independent research information about the effectiveness, costs and broader impact of health care treatments and tests for those who plan, provide or receive care in the NHS. Since 2006, the HTA programme has been funded through the National Institute for Health Research. A systematic review of treatments for atopic eczema, including homeopathy, was commissioned by the HTA programme and cost £48,029. A copy of the review is available on the programme's website at:
	www.hta.ac.uk/project/1039.asp

Liver Diseases

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce the levels of incidence of death from liver disease.

Simon Burns: Professor Martin Lombard, National Clinical Director for Liver Disease, continues to lead the development of the liver disease outcomes strategy. Professor Lombard is working with stakeholders representing patients, national health service and public health to ensure that the response to the rising demand for liver disease services is adequate and supports improvement against the NHS outcomes framework and the public health outcomes framework.
	A number of regional projects have been set up to test how best to improve the commissioning and provision of improved liver services, in the expectation of achieving better outcomes for patients. In addition, NHS Liver Care has been established to provide a virtual working environment for national and local health care professionals involved in the planning and delivery of liver services. A series of liver disease engagement workshops is in hand across England to support the improved delivery of liver disease services.

Liver Diseases

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to (a) encourage early detection of liver disease and (b) raise awareness about the effects of hepatitis B and C.

Simon Burns: The Department is currently supporting the following measures to establish effective measures to increase early detection of liver disease and raise awareness about hepatitis:
	NHS Liver Care provides a virtual working platform for national and local healthcare professionals involved in the planning and delivery of liver services, including the early detection of liver disease; and this year is facilitating liver disease workshops across England.
	In Plymouth, nurses will provide community based assessment of patients with potential liver disease. Also an outreach worker will be testing a model to reduce admissions and readmissions to patients presenting to secondary care with alcohol related problems,
	In Nottingham and Hull, general practitioners (GPs) are receiving additional training in the investigation of patients with abnormal liver function test and early detection of patients with fatty liver disease and obesity.
	In Liverpool, the historical patterns of referrals for suspected liver disease are being reviewed, and a new commissioning approach for liver disease services is being tested which can be used as a template for local implementation.
	The British Liver Trust (BLT) is developing a pre-clinical service based on a preliminary, medical information guided risk assessment provided via a helpline to individuals who identify themselves to BLT and who BLT assesses as being at risk of liver disease; and will advice on ‘healthy liver' lifestyle choices.
	In Leeds, work is in hand to local protocols to improve the cost effectiveness of patient care for liver disease patients; improve referrals; and enable earlier diagnosis.
	The Pharmaceutical and Hepatology Initiative Project will develop simple key messages for healthcare professionals about liver disease and its management, which will be action orientated and could be delivered in primary care across the country.
	The Hepatitis C Trust is working to improve access increase to hepatitis C testing in partnership with local national health service organisations through community pharmacies and an outreach mobile information and testing service.
	The Royal College of General Practitioners is working to produce an educational resource for GPs and other healthcare professionals in primary care, involving online and face-to-face learning, intended to assist in increasing the detection, diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis B and C in groups at risk of infection.
	There are dedicated hepatitis C websites for the general public, South Asian communities and healthcare professionals. Information on hepatitis B and C is also available on NHS Choices. In addition, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is currently developing public health guidance on promoting and offering testing for hepatitis B or hepatitis C for those .at increased risk of infection. Draft guidance was published for consultation on 13 June 2012, which includes recommendations on awareness-raising amongst the general population, health professionals and others providing services for those at increased risk of infection, and those at increased risk, and testing in a range of settings.

Liver Diseases

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department has allocated to the prevention of liver disease in the next 12 months.

Simon Burns: The Department has allocated £1.150 million in the financial year from April 2012 to March 2013 for the prevention of liver disease. NHS Liver Care has been given prime responsibility to utilise the above funds for liver disease. NHS Liver Care has already established a virtual working environment for national and local healthcare professionals involved in the prevention, planning and delivery of liver services.

Liver Diseases

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the NHS of liver disease and related treatments in the latest period for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The Department estimates that the total direct cost of liver disease to the national health service in 2009-10 was £860 million, as described in the following table.
	
		
			 Total estimated costs of liver disease on NHS services, 2009-10 
			 Cost area Costs (£ million) 
			 Primary care:  
			 General practitioner consultations 6.7 
			 Secondary care:  
			 In-patient activity 636.7 
			 Out-patient admissions 50.2 
			 Accident and emergency attendances 8.4 
			 Emergency ambulance journeys 33.1 
			 Other:  
			 Prescriptions dispensed in the community 65.7 
			 Specialist treatment 59.6 
			 Total 860.4 
			 Source: Department of Health Estimate

Malnutrition

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients were screened for malnutrition on admission to hospital in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what training and support the NHS provides to healthcare professionals to identify malnutrition;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of malnutrition in (a) hospitals and (b) care homes; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: Local national health service organisations are responsible for nutritional screening. We do not centrally collect information on the numbers of patients screened for malnutrition in the format requested. The NHS Information Centre collects partial data within the Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) programme. In the 2009-11 PEAT programmes, information was collected on the percentage of patients who were screened for the purpose of their nutritional care. This information is in the following table:
	
		
			 What percentage of patients were screened for the purpose of their nutritional care within 24 hours of their admission 
			  Percentage of patients 
			 Number of sites 0-20 21-40 41-60 61-80 81-100 
			 2009 (1,192 in total) 118 36 62 104 872 
			 2010 (1,192 in total) 149 33 96 126 788 
			 2011 (1,172 in total) 70 33 40 130 899 
			 Notes: 1. PEAT data are collected at hospital site level for all hospitals with more than 10 in-patient beds. 2. In 2010 and 2011, it was a requirement that the data provided were based on a recent audit. 3. In mental health services, the figures relate to the percentage of patients weighed within 72 hours of admission. 4. The number of hospital sites undertaking PEAT inspections varies from year to year due to reconfigurations and other changes in service delivery. 
		
	
	The content and standard of health care training is the responsibility of the independent regulatory bodies for the professions concerned. Through their role as the custodians of standards in education and practice, these organisations are committed to ensuring high quality patient care is delivered by health professionals and that health care professionals are equipped with the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to deal with the problems and conditions they will encounter in practice. Providers of care have a duty to ensure that staff have appropriate training and are competent in identifying those at risk from malnutrition.
	There is a variety of best practice guidance and resources in place to support health care professionals in meeting people's nutritional needs. These include the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on malnutrition in which all in-patients should be weighed, measured and have their body mass index calculated on admission.
	The Essence of Care benchmarking system covers all aspects of fundamental care including “food and drink” covering screening and assessment on initial contact, and the high impact actions which include an action about keeping patients nourished.
	At the heart of the health care reforms is a focus on improving the quality and outcomes of health care for patients. One of the NHS Commissioning Board's roles will be to provide national leadership, in driving up the quality of care. The board, along with clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), will have a legal duty to secure continuous improvement in the quality of services and outcomes. In addition, CCGs will work with local authorities to develop a comprehensive analysis of health and social care needs in each local area and to translate these into action through the joint health and well-being strategy, which will drive local commissioning of health care, social care and public health.
	All providers of regulated activities must register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and meet 16 registration requirements governing essential levels of safety and quality. The requirements include a requirement to meet the nutritional needs of patients and people who use services. The CQC has a wide range of independent enforcement powers that it can use if it considers providers are not meeting the requirements.
	During 2011, the CQC conducted a focussed inspection programme looking at dignity and nutrition, inspecting 100 national health service wards providing care for older people. Building on this programme, the CQC plans to inspect a further 50 hospitals and 500 care homes in 2012.

Malnutrition

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve the quality of data (a) collected and (b) published by the NHS on the incidence of malnutrition; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: In May 2012, the Government published its information strategy for health and social care in England, ‘The power of information’. A copy has already been placed in the Library and is available at:
	http://informationstrategy.dh.gov.uk
	The strategy sets a clear direction, ambition and next steps to transform the way information is used to improve health, care and outcomes with greater transparency, access for people to their own health and care records and a focus on better recording and sharing of core data by health and care professionals each playing a role in driving improved data quality.
	The Health and Social Care Information Centre also has a pivotal role in improving the quality of health and social care data by assuring the quality of nationally collected data providing an assurance function, helping local organisations achieve their responsibilities in ensuring data quality, by:
	working with both local and national organisations to develop a framework which outlines standards, assures and improves the quality of data; and
	producing their first national report during summer 2012. This will summarise the Information Centre's current data quality assurance activities and how they are developing their framework for wider roll out during 2013 and 2014.
	The Information Centre will be required to collect or analyse information as directed by the Secretary of State or the NHS Commissioning Board.
	The Information Centre will also be required to collect or analyse information as requested by Monitor, Care Quality Commission, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence or any other body specified in regulations, subject to the provisions of the Act or in regulations made under it.
	Data quality has a direct impact on health and social care as patient care and safety depends on good quality data. Poor quality data can lead to flawed clinical, administrative and planning decisions, while improving data quality improves patient care and value for money.

Primary Health Care: North East

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the issue of redundancy notices to primary health care NHS employees in the north-east; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are employers in their own right and as such are responsible for the appropriate management of potential redundancies in their organisations. Employers who propose to make 20 or more employees redundant at one establishment over a period of 90 days or less have a statutory duty to consult relevant trade unions. The length of a redundancy notice is dependent on an individual's contractual notice period.
	Work continues with national health service trade unions and staff to keep the need for compulsory redundancies to a minimum and avoid the loss of valuable and experienced staff from the NHS.

Regulation

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which regulations affecting his Department have been (a) abolished and (b) revised as part of the Red Tape Challenge.

Simon Burns: The Department has not yet abolished or revised any regulations as part of the Red Tape Challenge (RTC). However, the Department has already launched the Medicines RTC theme in March 2012, and an announcement on the outcome will follow in due course.

Retinoblastoma

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of retinoblastoma.

Paul Burstow: Since 2005, ‘Improving outcomes for children and young people with cancer’, published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), has supported trusts in planning, commissioning and organising services for children and young people with cancer, including retinoblastoma. One of its recommendations is the establishment of support for professionals in primary and secondary care in the recognition and referral of suspected cancer in children and young people.
	This guidance is complemented by ‘Referral for suspected cancer’, also published by the NICE in 2005, which sets out best practice advice on referral for suspected cancer in adults and children. The guidance covers a wide range of cancers, including retinoblastoma, and identifies key symptoms and evidence to consider when referring a patient for suspected cancer.
	These sets of guidance are continuing to support the commissioning of quality services for children and young people with cancer in the reformed national health service.
	During 2011, departmental officials met two charities for children and young people with cancer, with the aim of identifying some of the barriers to early diagnosis and to discuss potential solutions. This work has been fed into the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative and will inform future activity in this area.